A teacher who has been sacked by the Ghana Education Service after he lost his sight says he can no longer keep up with the life he’s been forced into since his dismissal.
Lawrence Ozeme whose salary has been cut, says he has no other source of income and is compelled to depend on his wife and the generosity of some friends who support him from time to time.
This situation, he said, has given him a different view of life and makes him feel less of a person than he was before.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Lawrence said “I am someone who is now seen as a persona non-grata.
“The job that I do is the way I make my living. Look at the way my people have treated me, if it was you, your view of life will surely change,” the distraught man said.
The father of four, had been teaching for 20 years before his salary was blocked by the GES in April when he informed them about his loss of sight.
He was diagnosed with glaucoma, a condition that causes damage to the optic nerves in the eyes. The condition is often associated with a buildup of pressure inside the eye and gets worse over time. Although it is an inherited condition, an early detection and treatment could lessen the damage caused to the eye.
In Lawrences’s situation, about 95 percent of his eyes has been affected by the disease and he is unable to see.
He said he noticed a regular blurring of both eyes and decided to go to the hospital for a medical examination.
When he learnt about his condition, he spoke to his headteacher and inquired about the way forward.
The headteacher asked him to enroll at the Akropong school for the blind and learn how to read braille before he will be re-engaged as a teacher.
But while Lawrence moves to educate himself in the hope of making life better, the GES has completely ignored him.
He receives no salary, no stipend from the Service with which he worked for the most part of his adult life.
He said he has developed high blood pressure and this is a constant worry for his medical doctor who has consistently advised him to find a way to bring the condition under control.
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