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'Education Act Needs To Be Reviewed'

04.04.2009 LISTEN
By David Yarboi-Tetteh, Cape Coast - newtimesonline.com

THE Director of the Institute of Education Planning and Administration (IEPA) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Dr George Oduro has called for a review of the  Education Act of 2008 with particular emphasis on the role and relationship of the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES).

He also called for a review of the composition of the National Teaching Council (NTC) to include representatives from the GES.

Dr Oduro made the call at the opening of the third quadrennial delegates conference of the Cape Coast Municipal secretariat of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) themed, “Teacher unions;  response to the challenges of globalisation: professional challenges”.

He explained that the composition of the NTC makes the Ministry of Education a policy maker and an implementer at the same time.

“Such arrangement, if unchanged is likely to subject teachers professional operations to the manipulation of politicians which may have serious implications for teachers professionalism in future,” he emphasised.

He noted that the GES by the provisions of the Ghana Education Service's Act (Act 506) was mandated to co-ordinate and implement approved national educational policies enacted by the Ministry of Education.

“It is difficult to understand why the GES Director General for instance has been excluded from the composition of the NTC that is responsible for the professional development and locating of teachers when the Ministry of Education is represented,” he stressed.

Dr Oduro therefore, appealed to the sector minister to create a public platform to discuss the provisions of the Education Act before they are implemented.

He further called for a halt in the use of teachers for national elections since it disrupt the process of child learning.

He urged the leadership of GNAT to consider the professional implication of withdrawing teachers from the classrooms to engage in such national assignments and guard against it, saying, “the teacher is paid to teach, so he or she must be encouraged to teach”.

The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe, in an address, acknowledged the contribution of teachers towards eradicating illiteracy in the country.

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