Teachers cry foul

The Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, Mr. John Nyoagbe, has 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 school teachers in deprived primary schools in the Brong Ahafo region and was organized by the GNAT in collaboration with the Canadian Teachers Federation (CTF).

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 GNAT/CTF 'NKABOM" Interaction II Project and would encourage district assemblies and directors of education and communities to co-operate with implementers of the project.

Source: GNA