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President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT), Mr. Ernest Opoku, has reacted angrily to assertions by former Member of Parliament for the Asokwa Constituency, Maxwell Kofi Jumah, that roles of teachers and doctors can in no way be compared to that of politicians. The former MP, who obviously did not understand the huge public outcry over the payment of GHC 47m as ex-gratia to MPs at a time when teachers, doctors and other public and civil servants are protesting delays in salary arrears, further incurred the displeasure of teachers when he voiced out that �in-terms of hierarchy, the teacher is not on level pegging with a Member of Parliament (MP).� But a fuming Ernest Opoku, who found the former MPs remark offensive, demanded an immediate apology. �Hon. Kofi Jumah�s statement is an unfair one and we (Collation of Concerned Teachers) want him to retract his statement. We (CCT) are not saying that we should be paid like the MP�s. ��But if you pay two hundred thousand (GHC 200,000) to an MP whiles a teacher who has been to the university and has been teaching for over fifteen years with a master�s degree earns one thousand Ghana cedis (GHC 1,000) monthly, what is he (Kofi Jumah) talking about?� Kofi Jumah must speak as an honorable MP,� he said. Speaking to Accra based Adom FM; the President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers further stated �If they (MP�s) are talking about qualifications, I (Ernest Opoku) have a master�s degree and at the end of the day does he (Kofi Jumah) mean that I cannot also go the Parliament?� �There are people in parliament without any meaningful educational qualification yet they are still there�Go to Canada, teachers earn more than that of MP�s. Kofi Jumah should do that cross-check. Is he saying Ghana is far better than Canada?..I am disappointed in the Hon MP for making such remarks after asking us (electorate) to vote for him. Whiles government is seriously negotiating with teachers to (halt) their strike, just imagine what a whole MP is doing; making such outrageous statements on air to agitate us,� he said.