Newly Trained Teacher Forced to Work Night Security Job Amid Salary Delays
A young Ghanaian teacher, Simon Kofi Nartey, has emotionally revealed that he now works part-time as a night security guard at a fuel station to make ends meet.
Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Simon, who serves as the spokesperson for the 2022 batch of newly trained teachers, opened up about the dire financial conditions he and his colleagues are enduring due to long delays in salary payments.
🔴 10 Months Without Pay
Simon and hundreds of his colleagues, who recently completed training at Ghana’s Colleges of Education, have gone without salaries for nearly 10 months. Their staff IDs have yet to be processed by the Ghana Education Service (GES), a necessary step for salary disbursement.
The issue prompted the group to stage a peaceful protest and picketing at the GES headquarters in Accra on Monday, June 23, demanding immediate action.
🛏️ Living in Darkness, Struggling to Eat
Recounting his personal hardships, Simon said:
“If it has to do with how we’re surviving, it is very difficult. Most of us had to relocate and rent new places. I could only afford six months’ rent, and I’ve only paid one month’s utility bill. My lights have been disconnected.”
He further revealed:
“It might interest you to know that I work as a night security man at a fuel station to support myself.”
💬 Teachers Vow to Continue Protest
Simon emphasized that the picketing is not politically motivated but a desperate act by hardworking, trained educators who simply want to be treated fairly.
“We will not back down until the government responds. We deserve better,” he said.
📢 Calls for Urgent Government Intervention
The story of Simon is just one among many. His testimony underscores a broader crisis within Ghana’s education sector—where young, qualified teachers are either unposted or unpaid for long periods, leading to depression, side jobs, and in some cases, abandonment of the profession.
Stakeholders are urging the government to expedite the processing of staff IDs and clear all salary arrears, to restore dignity to the teaching profession.
“Teachers shape the nation. They shouldn’t be left to suffer in silence,” one protestor said.
Stay tuned for updates as this story develops.
