Teachers in Asuogyaman hold annual general meeting

Teachers in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region have held the annual general meeting of the Teachers Welfare Fund at New Akrade, near Senchi in the Eastern Region. It was on the theme: “A sound mind – quality teaching.

In his address, the Eastern Regional Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mr J. Amamoo, called on the executive of the fund to observe probity, transparency and accountability in order to sustain the fund.

He said many welfare associations had collapsed as a result of lack of these values. 

He lauded the executive of the Asuogyaman District Teachers Welfare Fund for having lived up to expectation. 

“Accountability is very essential and the lack of it is what has collapsed many welfare fund associations. I am, therefore, delighted to observe that your welfare fund has stood the test of time,” he said.

The secretary noted, however, that even though the number of teachers in the district had increased, not all of them had joined the welfare fund. He, therefore, urged heads of the various educational institutions, especially those in the senior high schools, to educate their staff members about the benefits they stood to enjoy as members of the fund.  

A retired educationist and former headmaster of Akwamuman and later Okuapeman Senior High schools, Mr Felix Essah-Hienno, said duplication of functions in the Ghana Education Service was a contributing factor to the falling standards in education in basic schools.

He explained for instance that the role of the National Teaching Council conflicted with that of the Ghana Education Council and likewise the National Inspectorate Board (NIB).

He, therefore, urged the Ghana Education Service (GES), the authority that employs teachers, to sign a performance contract with teachers and not NIB. He said, “the establishment of the National Inspectorate Board as external supervisors would not yield results if teaching inputs, salary for the teachers and an enabling environment were not improved”.

Mr Essah-Hienno added that if NIB was to work well, then there ought to be a forum held for teachers to educate them on what was expected of them.

The Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Fund, Rev. Alex Obeng Oguamenah, said the Asuogyaman teachers savings scheme (Credit Union) was set up with the primary objective to operate as a supplement to members’ pensions to help them to prepare adequately for retirement. He said money that accrued from the scheme could also serve as start-up capital for a teachers’ housing scheme and also provide long and short term loans for members. 

He entreated the new executive to enter into consultations with key stakeholders, including the Heads of Basic Schools Association, circuit supervisors and the leadership of GNAT and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) in order to inject innovations into the fund.