Textile workers react to alleged importation of GES' new uniform

The Textiles Workers Union has described as 'madness' the alleged importation of the new Ghana Education Service, GES' uniform introduced for basic schools in the country.

According to Daily Graphic's report, the fabrics, are already on the market; though the GES has not officially made them available.

General Secretary of the Textiles Workers Union, Abraham Koomson, in an interview with Citi FM said the posture of government on the issue defeats its message of creating jobs for the youth, especially when foreign firms are engaged in the production of the uniforms.

“It is difficult to understand why the government will encourage the importation of school uniform. This has never happened before. Government has never sanctioned the importation of school uniform. We are even fighting the piracy of African prints because that has been a problem which has virtually collapsed the local manufacturing industries.”

READ ALSO : Photos: GES introduces new school uniform for JHS students

“This is madness, we cannot understand. It’s madness. Is this the government who wants to encourage investors to create jobs to solve the unemployment in this country? We rather paid people in China to create jobs for their national. I can’t understand because it doesn’t make sense. I have seen videos of the material and it bears the trademark of Printex. What kind of criminality is this when the President has openly declared in Parliament that nobody should bring any fabric through any entry point except the Tema Port. These products are coming from Togo, Burkina Faso and we are sitting down and we are happy with it. They are not paying taxes and duties. What kind of country is this?” he quizzed.

We want to supply the new JHS uniforms: Local textile companies to Gov't

The local textile manufacturing companies in the country are asking the Ghana Education Service, GES, to give the local industry the opportunity to supply the new Junior High School uniforms.

Speaking to Joy FM, Head of Marketing at GTP Stephen Badu said the government needs to allow the local textile industry to fairly compete for the supply of the uniforms.

"The truth of the matter is that we are looking forward to the government approaching or announcing to any of the local textile companies that yes we are giving this contract to you or we are opening up a bid for local textile companies to come on board, so we looking forward to the government to give this opportunity to the local players to at least compete on fairgrounds, we're looking at the new school uniform for the Junior High Schools, the announcement that they are changing uniforms from the current to a new one, we are expecting that it will come with giving out some contracts to supply these uniforms to public schools in Ghana to us."

GES defends its decision to introduce new JHS uniforms

The Director General of the Ghana Educational Service, Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwa says the GES decision to introduce a new uniform for Junior High School (JHS) students is aimed at psyching the students of what is ahead of them.

READ ALSO : New Curriculum: We did not delete Nkrumah from history lessons-NaCCA

This follows an announcement by the GES to introduce a new uniform for Junior High Students. The JHS students are expected to start wearing the new school uniform from the next academic year, 2019 – 2020.

In an interview on Starr News on April 15, 2019, the Director General of GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwa says the change is intended at psyching the students of what is ahead of them.

“In our schools, the first years and second years are mostly seen in shorts. The third or final year students are mostly seen in trousers. Have we ever bothered to find out why it is so?

“We want to start psyching the students for what is ahead. The curriculum is about changing and it is important the students know and start seeing themselves as seniors hence the change of uniform,” he stated.

According to him, the service expects parents to provide the uniforms to their wards “as they have always done.” Nonetheless, the government may assume responsibility for deprived communities.

READ ALSO : New GES curriculum to erase 'chew and pour' mentality among students