The leadership of the Pre-Tertiary Teacher Unions have called for calm among teachers who are apprehensive over their appointments being revoked.

Their anxiety stems from a circular issued by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to heads of schools to ensure that the appointments of teachers who were recruited after December 7 are terminated.

In an exclusive interview with 3news on February 19, General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Tanko Musah appealed to the anxious teachers to be calm.

We need to give the employer the benefit of hindsight. To the extent that we have an assurance of engagement for us to find out how we can resolve, together let us work to resolve all the issues. If there are other things, we are not able to resolve we meet our members and decide on the next line of action.

“So, to the extent that dialogue has not broken down and the employer has shown commitment that look, let us work together to resolve the problem” he noted.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has cautioned that if urgent steps are not taken to curb the rising incidents of violent altercations among senior high school students, authorities may be compelled to establish military barracks within school premises.

This warning follows recent clashes between students, some of whom wielded deadly weapons such as cutlasses and locally manufactured pistols.

The incidents have reignited concerns about discipline and character development within the country’s educational institutions.

Speaking to Citi News, GNAT General Secretary, Thomas Tanko Musah expressed deep concern over the growing indiscipline among students, attributing it to a broader breakdown of respect at the national level.

He criticised the lack of accountability for students involved in violent and criminal activities, warning that their unchecked actions could further erode discipline in schools.

“If care is not taken in the coming days like I have said, we may have to establish military barracks on our campuses so that they will help to maintain law and order.

“That is where we are heading towards. We may need to employ more military men since the students are now coming with weapons, we might need to employ the military people so that we create military barracks on all the campuses so that when the students pull out their weapons, the soldiers will also pull their weapons, then they will square it up there.”

Source : Elizabeth Kabukie Ocansey

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has expressed readiness to effectively partake in the National  Education Forum, to highlight funding shortfalls within the  educational system of the country.

This comes after President John Dramani Mahama established an eight-member committee to oversee the organisation of the National Education reform, to publicly dialogue on ways to improve on the educational sector in the country.

In an interview on the Channel One Newsroom, General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Tanko Musah raised concerns regarding debts owed the West African Examination Council (WAEC), the challenge of financing the School Feeding programme for basic schools across the country and the capitation grant which lies in arrears.

He further lamented the growing concern of student indiscipline witnessed recently in some Senior High Schools and called for reforms in the disciplinary system.

“The major problem facing us is funding. All the problems we are going to discuss, it is about where to get money, pay for them. And like I always say, capitation grant is in arrears for over two years. We are owing WAEC for over GH¢100 million. The school feeding, we are owing. How can we feed students GH¢1.30 a day?

“We will go there and bring to their attention that currently as a people, we have lost the effective aspect of training our children which has to do with character and conscience. And we will run into danger when we train children with knowledge and they don’t have character.

“We must revisit the issue where we have disabled the headmasters and everything, otherwise we will be in trouble in the coming years.”

Source :   Sarah Appiah

The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Tanko Musah, has voiced concerns over inadequate compensation and insufficient rest periods for teachers working under the double-track school system.

Musah’s comments come in response to recent statements by the Minister of Education, Dr. Osei Yaw Adutwum, who cautioned against the immediate abolition of the double-track system, citing potential negative effects on students’ educational prospects.

Dr. Adutwum’s warning was directed at the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which has pledged to abolish the system if it wins the December 7 general elections.

In an interview with Citi News, Musah emphasized the critical need for sufficient rest for teachers, highlighting the strain the double-track system has placed on them.

He called on the government to develop a comprehensive compensation plan for teachers operating within this framework, underscoring the importance of supporting educators to ensure both their well-being and the quality of education provided.

“Giving the worker leave is good. It enables the worker to rest, refresh, prepare and come back. Even the labour law tells us that a worker cannot sell his leave. Leave now is compulsory. Even vehicles, there’s a time every month or a time you need to go for servicing. What about you human beings?

“And so the concern is that teachers who are in the double track schools are not resting and the compensation given to them is not coming.

“What we all need to look at is that if the double track cannot be resolved this year, then the schools that will be doing the double track should look at what package we will have for teachers because we cannot have a system where the teachers in those schools are working 24/7 without compensation. They must be compensated.”

September 16, 2024 1:37 pm

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called on the government to immediately declare a state of emergency to address the devastating impact of illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.

Additionally, GNAT is demanding the evacuation of all mining equipment from forest reserves and water bodies.

GNAT Secretary, Thomas Musah made these demands on Accra-based Channel One TV while outlining five urgent actions the government must put in place.

Mr Musah called for the revocation of law 2462 and the withdrawal of all mining and prospecting licenses in forests, protected reserves, and water bodies.

“Deploy Police and Military to remove and destroy all mining and earth-moving equipment in river bodies and forest reserves.

“Establish a special court to prosecute those involved in illegal mining (galamsey),” he stated.

Meanwhile, highlighting the dire situation facing Ghana, Mr Musah expressed down the five-member inter-ministerial committee set up by President Akufo-Addo will help finding lasting solutions to the menace.

July 24, 2024

Kumasi City News

Members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) staged a dramatic walkout on Deputy Education Minister, Prof Kingsley Nyarko, to express their deep disappointment and frustration over the government’s failed promise to provide laptops to teachers nationwide.

The walkout was a clear indication of the growing resentment among GNAT members, who are urging the government to immediately address their concerns and fulfill its promises. In 2021, the government deducted 30% of teachers’ salaries to undertake the “one teacher, one laptop” project, aimed at providing digital tools to enhance teaching and learning.

However, over two and a half years later, more than 50,000 teachers nationwide have not received their laptops, despite paying for them through salary deductions.

The aggrieved teachers, who gathered for their week-long annual meeting, hooted at Prof Nyarko and prevented him from delivering his speech on behalf of the government. The teachers shared their daily ordeal in the classroom, where the absence of laptops has interrupted teaching and learning, causing frustration and demotivation.

District Chairman of GNAT, Afigya Kwabre, Sarfo Sarpong, spoke on behalf of the group, expressing their disappointment and anger over the government’s failure to fulfill its promises. Sarpong revealed that the National Labour Commission, serving as a mediator, had given the government until the end of June to honor its part of the contract by supplying the outstanding laptops.

However, as of July 22, over 50,000 laptops were still left to be supplied, leaving teachers feeling betrayed and neglected. The walkout and protest by GNAT members serve as a strong reminder to the government to prioritize the needs and concerns of teachers, who are essential to the country’s education system.