Dr. Clement Apaak, the ranking member of Parliament’s Education Committee, has made it clear that former president John Mahama does not deny knowledge of the difficulties teachers confront or that he is unaware of their working conditions.
He claims that should Mr. Mahama be chosen as the next general election’s president, he will not back down from taking on the problems that face educators in the course of their work.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Top Story on Monday, February 12, Dr. Apaak contended that without a thorough grasp of the country’s financial status, it would be irrational for the former President to make promises about improving the working conditions for teachers.
His comments follow the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer’s declaration that he would not make hollow campaign promises and criticized the ruling New Patriotic Party for doing the same in their quest for power for the general elections of 2024.
Mr. Mahama showed awareness of the challenges faced by educators, particularly those in the pre-tertiary sector, even though he acknowledged he could not guarantee teachers would receive immediate salary increases.
In light of this, Dr. Apaak emphasized that the outgoing President will assess the country’s financial situation after taking office and include all interested parties in the decision-making process to address the difficulties faced by educators.
“He has stated that if given the chance to become president, he will summon all relevant parties and open the books so that everyone can examine the country’s finances. Then, based on the resources available, we may determine as a group whether or not there is enough to improve the present service conditions “Dr. Apaak clarified.
He also played off worries that the honest approach taken by the NDC flagbearer to improving the working conditions for teachers will result in a large loss of votes in the 2019 general elections.
Dr. Apaak also disagreed with worries that Mr. Mahama’s sincerity would be punished by the teaching community.
