Release textbooks of new curriculum — GNAT

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has asked the Ministry of Education to ensure that textbooks of the new curriculum for primary schools get to teachers without further delay. 

The Central Regional Chairman of GNAT, Rev. Dr Isaac Owusu, said it was unfortunate that two years after introducing the curriculum, teachers were yet to be given the prescribed textbooks to facilitate teaching and learning.

He was speaking at the sixth quadrennial delegates conference of the association in Komenda in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem municipality in the Central Region last Tuesday.

The conference was on the theme: "GNAT at 90: Sustaining the gains of our union in KEEA for the 21st century".

Dr Owusu said it was important that managers of education understood the challenges teachers faced in the daily discharge of their responsibilities and took decisions that would bring out the best in them.

In 2019, the Ministry of Education embarked on reforms at the pre-tertiary level to make education more responsive to the human resource and development needs of the country.

Injustices

Dr Owusu also expressed worry over what he termed as “injustices” being meted out to teachers and urged the government to address them.

He mentioned delays in promotions and the payment of additional responsibility allowances, unattractive salaries and increasing cases of assault of teachers by the public as some of the challenges that needed to be addressed.

Dr Owusu also raised issues of “meagre pension” after serving the country for many years, saying it was demotivating for teachers.

He further made claims of political interference in the work of teachers and urged members of the association to stick together to ward off such threats as they advocated better working conditions.

"We are not the cause of the economic woes in the country and, therefore, we cannot be made to suffer unduly for them," Dr Owusu added.

Sustaining gains

An officer at the Administration and Organisation Department of GNAT (Headquarters), Mr Nicholas Taylor, urged teachers to play their roles effectively to sustain the gains made by the association to enhance transparency, effective dissemination of information, attract young teachers through incentives and encourage grass-root participation in matters of the association.

The KEEA Municipal Chairman of GNAT, Mrs Patience Apeku, gave an assurance that the association would continue to work to promote the welfare of teachers.

She also advised teachers to continue to observe the COVID-19 safety protocols to protect themselves and their pupils from the virus.

For her part, the KEEA Director of Education, Ms Cecilia Aboagye, commended teachers for their hard work over the years and their determination to add value to themselves by undertaking various courses, including distance education programmes.