Teachers express worry over their exclusion

Sunyani, May 24, GNA - Mr. John Nyoagbe, the Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), on Thursday expressed worry about "deliberate attempts" being made to exclude teachers and their associations from the yet to be established National Teaching Council.

"We in GNAT wish to remind Parliament to correct the anomaly before the Education Bill is passed into law", he said.

Addressing the close of an in-service capacity-building workshop of GNAT/ CTF Project NKABOM Interaction Phase II in Sunyani, he said teachers' contribution "is key to the success" in the implementation of any education reforms.

The workshop was attended by some basic schoolteachers in deprived primary schools in the Brong Ahafo Region and was organized by the GNAT in collaboration with the Canadian Teachers Federation (CTF). It was aimed at updating the teaching skills of the participants as well as improving their curriculum knowledge and skills, Early Childhood Education, English and Communication Skills, Primary Mathematics, Primary Science, Environmental Studies and Elements of ICT and Library Management.

Mr. Nyoagbe said the CTF and the GNAT had the vision to ensure that the goals of education For All (EFA) materialized fully in the Brong Ahafo Region.

He requested the district assemblies to assist in the provision of material and moral support through inputs made into the budgetary process by district directors of education and MPs to assist deprived schools.

Mr. Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, said the government had noted the concerns raised by GNAT with regard to the smooth implementation of the new education reform.

He mentioned the concerns about teacher motivation, challenges of the four-year senior high school programme, resourcing of technical and vocational institutions and effective financial decentralization to ensure the early disbursement of government grants for the smooth implementation of school programmes.

The regional minister said the region had accepted the challenge by implementers of the project.

He expressed appreciation to the CTF and its Board of Trustees for initiating the Social Development in Education Project (SODEP). Mr. Baffour-Awuah urged teachers to cooperate in the pursuance of sound educational programmes whilst solutions to difficulties and other challenges they faced in deprived communities were addressed. Lady Helen MacDonald, leader of the CTF Group of Volunteers, gave assurance that the organization would continue to be a partner to GNAT as it sought to attain and provide quality education delivery skills to teachers.