“We may be blind, but our brains are working” – Visually impaired teacher laments over salary arrears

A visually impaired teacher, Mabel Agyei Twumasi has appealed to the government to immediately release funds for the payment of their 13-month salary arrears, accusing the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) of neglect despite repeated petitions.

Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem following a protest on Tuesday, Mabel said the teachers feel betrayed after countless engagements with authorities yielded no results.

“We have submitted several petitions and received assurances which have not yielded any results,” she lamented. “It seems once we leave their offices, that is it. They are taking us for granted.”

She stressed that while she and other colleagues may be visually impaired, they remain fully aware of the injustice being meted out to them.

“We may be blind but our brains are working,” she declared.

According to her, the teachers first petitioned the Ministry of Education and GES, whom they consider their direct employers. Letters were also submitted to regional offices in an attempt to resolve the matter.

“We decided to deal with the Education Ministry hand in hand and they told us they had done their part. But they have not even given us staff IDs,” she added, describing the frustrations they face in trying to access their rightful salaries.

 

She stressed that their demands go beyond survival, warning that the quality of education suffers when teachers cannot afford essentials like transportation and accommodation.

Mabel insisted they will continue to push for their arrears until government takes urgent action to address their plight.

Source: Gertrude Otchere

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