A former spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Yaw Opoku Mensah, has criticised the Ghana Education Service (GES) over what he describes as a threatening posture towards teachers raising concerns about their conditions.

His reaction follows a directive issued by GES management cautioning teachers against bypassing established administrative channels to protest or engage the media over grievances.

In a strongly worded response, Mr Opoku Mensah described the directive as “pompous and arrogant,” arguing that such leadership approaches have no place in modern governance.

According to him, rather than issuing threats, the service should sympathise with teachers and work urgently to ensure that their delayed compensation and other contractual obligations are honoured.

He said it is unfair for management to threaten teachers who have worked for more than a year while seeking what he described as their rightful entitlements.

Mr Opoku Mensah also urged the service to reconsider its leadership approach, warning that attempts to suppress staff grievances could undermine morale within the education sector.

He further called on the GES to withdraw the directive and instead advocate strongly within the ministry for teachers to receive what is due them.

The former spokesperson emphasised that teaching remains one of the most noble professions in the country and deserves professionalism, respect and better treatment from authorities.

He added that he was saddened to see the directive coming from management, noting that he had initially hoped the letter circulating publicly was fake.