TEWU Wants Non-Teaching Staff Recognized Under FREE SHS

The Teachers and Educational Workers Union, (TEWU) of the Trade Union Congress, has called on government to give due recognition to the role of non-teaching staff towards the successful implementation of the Free SHS double-track system.

The Union said for the system to have smooth and continuous implementation, the roles of both the teaching and non-teaching staff in the education sector must be recognized.

A statement signed by Augustine Saakuur Karbo, the General Secretary of TEWU said the recognition was critical because “they are all partners in the provision of quality education in training excellent and efficient human resource for the Country.”

The implementation of the double track system is expected to take effect in September 2018, under the free Senior High School Policy.

The statement said TEWU's expectation was that the focus should be on how to ensure that appropriate numbers of both non-teaching and teaching staff were engaged to make the system work well.

“TEWU is a major partner in the development process to deliver or provide quality education in our country. We demand mutual respect and recognition of the non-teaching staff in the school environment, it is not only teachers who are to impact on students.”

The Union was of the view that the behaviour of the non-teaching and teaching staff go a long way to reflect on moral, discipline and character of students.

It added that the non-teaching staff undertakes various activities such as sanitation, security, catering, driving, library services administrative functions, accounting functions, to ensure a conducive environment for teaching and learning.

“Without adequate security, the teacher cannot have the sound mind to teach and the students too cannot have the sound mind to learn, if there is no food for the students to eat, they will be hungry.”

The Union also called for urgent recruitment of non-teaching staff in the light of the double track system which will increase student population, urging the Ministry of Finance to prioritize the financial clearance for the recruitment decision to be made.

“We call on the government to address the Single Spine Salary Structure, especially those relating to the critical support premium for the remaining classes of workers in the non-teaching staff category.”