Teachers and Nurses deserve to be paid better salaries – Chris Vincent Agyapong

Controversial Ghanaian Blogger, Chris-Vincent Agyapong has bemoaned how Ghanaian teachers and Nurses are given peanuts at the end of the month whiles, in reality, they play a key role in our country, hence, the need to pay them well.

Read his full submission below:

“A few days ago, I went on a moderate rant about how the Ghanaian system breeds corruption—looking at the meagre salaries received by Ghanaian employees and the concept of living a basic standard life.

Following this piece, several employed Ghanaians have contacted me to express their frustration about the increasing high cost of living in Ghana, especially the cities where their jobs have fixated them and the depreciating salaries they are given each month.

Amongst the many who contacted me was a nurse who said she is not enthused or excited to be going to work—after all, at the end of the month she is paid peanuts, with loans which she has taken out of necessity consuming half of her salary.

It’s unfortunate, albeit widespread, that the two most important professionals in Ghana—teachers and nurses are paid peanuts, and somehow, we expect them to be motivated to take care of us when unwell and nurture our future leaders.

This nurse said, she just goes to work to sail through—which means, she does not give a hoot about the job or the patients.

I hate to hear the songs of doing good or receiving your reward in heaven. That’s nonsense. The reward of labour is salary and those who handle some of the most important jobs in our lives deserve to be rewarded as much as possible.

If a nurse takes home at the end of the month 800 or 1000 GHS, then be ready for 800 GHS worth of lousy care when you walk into a hospital.

The most painful part is, the politicians, who literally do not do anything—except to keep promising Ghanaians of a never coming better tomorrow, continue to take home huge salaries, allowances as well as ex-gratia (full pension) every 4 years.

I have seen others attempting to defend the long broken Ghanaian system that only rewards the corrupt by arguing that those employed on peanut salaries should consider starting a side business alongside their full time jobs.

While the above may be laudable in theory, the Ghanaian system actually fights against such things—entrepreneurship thrives under certain enabled conditions, and Ghana lacks these conditions.

A friend tried to start an internet business in Ghana—the rocketing data cost which is no way justifiable together with the unreliable power supply conspired to close his business.

Another bought a car to run a commercial car business and almost every 2 weeks his car had an issue—mostly because of the bad roads and reckless driving of his own driver and the others. His car got into accidents with the driver justifiably blaming lack of streetlights at night. Should my friend go and fix all the streetlights from Accra to Kumasi? That’s impossible.

Another friend bought a car for 3,000 dollars from the USA to be used as uber in Ghana—the car is still at the port, because he cannot pay the duty being demanded, which is more than how much he even paid for the car.

What sort of system is this?

Even if Lucifer himself was running the show in Ghana, he wouldn’t be this wicked to the citizens.

Ghanaians are deeply suffering and to imagine that some of them will end up in “hell” again is grossly unfair—that’s double punishment.

Let’s not talk about pension—that which is in place for even those who go through the pain to work each day for the coins when they retire.

When you are old under such a system, it will be worse for you.

–Chris-Vincent Agyapong”