Mr. Evans Afari Gyan Yeboah, Bono Regional Organizer of the governing party (NPP) has replied TV 3’s Johnnie Hughes over his comment on the President’s extension of the Deputy Director of GES contract.
Speaking on his show called ‘Johnnie’s Bite’, Johnnie Hughes blasted President Akufo-Addo for extending the contract of Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Anthony Boateng, by a year.
According to him, the Deputy GES Director has attained the age of retirement and there is no need for the President to extend his contract. He added that people are looking for jobs to do, yet he ( President Akufo Addo) is giving opportunities to persons who have retired. When this happens, the chances of the youths to get employed get blocked according to Johnnie Hughes.
“I am quite disturbed because the last census that we had says that we have a lot of young people in this country. And we are seeing the rate of unemployment go up in the country. I agree that government cannot employ everybody. But government can do some. The minister of education may have gone past his 60th age and then I saw a letter of the minister of education requesting for extension of service for another person who has gone past 60 years. When I say we are creating an old people’s brigade, you said no. When I said the whole country has become a crime scene, they said no.”
However, the Bono Regional Organizer, Mr. Evans Afari Gyan Yeboah has asked the general public especially Johnnie Hughes to look at it positively considering the motive behind the extension of the contract.
According to Mr. Evans Afari Gyan, the President acted on a request by the Education Minister with keen reflection on how the one year extension of the Deputy Director’s contract will help transform the educational system as he completes what he started.
In a letter addressed to the Secretary of the President at the Jubilee House, the Education Minister said: “Referencing the general principle and policy on post-retirement contracts in Ghana; I should be grateful to respectfully request for another one-year extension of the contract for Mr. Anthony Boateng; current Deputy-Director for Management Service.”
The letter continued that: “During the period of extension, Mr. Anthony Boateng will continue his current role and assist in the development of the Ministry’s National Education Institute as approved by Cabinet.”
Considering the motive behind the extension which is to give room for the Deputy Director General to complete what he started with his expertise, the Bono Regional Organizer has said that “the President’s decision to accept the request of the Minister of Education and extend the Deputy Director’s contract is a step in the right direction“.
Commenting on the unemployment situation, he acknowledged that the youth in the country are in need of job and the government is on course and taking various initiatives to create employment. Nevertheless, Mr Evans Afari says that shouldn’t be the reason why we should underplay the potentials and expertise of the abled government employees.
He explained that “in certain circumstances or situations where the expertise of a government employee is needed to accomplish a task for the benefit of the country, even if the person has attained his retirement age, the policy on post-retirement contracts in Ghana gives room for the extension of the persons contract to complete a task for the country’s benefit”.
Mr. Evans has therefore stated emphatically that the one year extension of the Deputy Director of GES contract by the President is nothing to recieve negative feedback from the media personality.
He has also called on Johnnie Hughes and other media personalities to use their media platforms to spread positive news to the public rather than negative news which doesn’t have any basis and tends to create an unabling environment for the realization of the good government policies.
“It is unfortunate that the media is gradually becoming polarised on political party lines. I call on media practitioners to be objective and unbiased in their reportage and analysis to protect our democracy and the media”, he added.