General Secretary of Ghana National Teacher Association (GNAT) Thomas Musah Tanko has said that the look forward eagerly to their upcoming meeting with the Labor Commission on April 17th.

He said the Teacher unions will use the opportunity to express the need to address longstanding concerns regarding various allowances and financial matters affecting their members.

“We wanted the end of the strike to be immediate because per the ruling of the Labour Commission, we are to return to them on the 17th of April. And we think that will give us the whole time to get the work done,” Tanko stated.

Tanko highlighted several critical concerns of members that remain unresolved. These include,  the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) allowance, housing allowance, transport allowance, and other pertinent financial matters.

“We have about ten allowances that we compressed into this particular six (6). Initially, three (3) of them were agreed, the scheme of service and then the issue of the timetable and other related matters. Three (3) items have been addressed, the six (6) outstanding items on the table, that is what we will be looking at,’’ he said on TV3’S Ghana Tonight, on Tuesday, April 2.

Furthermore, Tanko expressed frustration over what they perceive as a lack of progress in addressing these concerns over the years. They pointed out that since the expiration of their collective agreement in 2009, and its subsequent renewal in August 2020, many allowances outlined in the agreement have not been implemented.

“Since 2017, since this government came into office, the only allowance that teachers have had is 1,200. So, for the past 7 years, the only allowance that a teacher has received is an amount of 100 Ghana cedis’’ he said.

He also criticized what they view as bureaucratic hurdles hindering the implementation of agreed-upon allowances, citing instances where efforts to gather data and address teacher welfare were stymied by administrative roadblocks.

In response to these challenges, Tanko reiterated its commitment to negotiating with relevant authorities to secure fair and adequate allowances for its members.

“We sponsored most of these trips, field trips outside to go and check on the teacher living in deprived communities, how best we can gather data and all that,” Tanko explained. “But when it came to the time of the implementation, they brought other concerns that it cannot be done because it is only the Ghana Statistical Service that has the mandate to get it done.”

By Eva Boamah

Source: The GNAT

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, the Ghana National Association of Teachers, GNAT, has donated items to fifty (50)

needy pupils on 2^nd October, 2023.

The pupils who were selected from Bosomdo D/A Primary School in the Shama District and Wuwuso D/A Primary School in

the Wassa Amenfi East District received items such as New School Attire(s), School Bags, Canvas Shoes, Pairs of Socks,

Writing materials, pens, pencils, belt among others.

Kweku Bosea D/A Primary School in the Bia District has also been selected to benefit from a construction of a two-classroom

pavilion to help accommodate the learners who are in a dilapidated structure. All the beneficiary schools have been selected

from the Western Region and Western-North Region which happens to be the host region of the 2023 Ghana Teacher Prize.

This gesture is an annual activity that GNAT undertakes in commemoration of the World Teachers' Day which is celebrated

on 5th October every year.

According to the National President of GNAT, Rev. Isaac Owusu, each of the two schools from which the fifty (50) pupils

were selected would receive packs of supplementary readers and simplified English for their schools' Libraries. Rev. Isaac Owusu

noted that the GNAT does this to inculcate in the children the culture of reading.

Present at the donation were the General Secretary of GNAT, Mr. Thomas Tanko Musah, National Officers of the Association,

Regional Executive, two District Directors of Education, teachers and pupils as well as other stakeholders. Receiving the items,

the pupils who were visibly excited about the donation expressed their appreciation to their teachers, thus the GNAT.

Source: The GNAT

The Ghana National Association of Teachers, GNAT, on Monday, October 2, 2023 launched this year's edition of the GNAT Week

celebration at Fijai in the Western Region. The GNAT Week is an annual event which takes place in October with series of

activities geared towards celebrating teachers.

Speaking at the launch, the National President of GNAT, Rev. Isaac Owusu noted that ''the 2023 GNAT Week Celebration is

taking place in the Western Region, because it is the region selected for the Ghana Teacher Prize celebration.''

The Ghana Teacher Prize which is organized by the National Teaching Council (NTC), is one of the key activities earmarked

for the GNAT week celebration. This will take place on Thursday, October 5, 2023 in commemoration of the World Teachers' Day

which is celebrated globally.

Other activities slated for the week includes radio discussions, candle light procession, donation by GNAT to beneficiary school/learners,

open forum, excursions, fun games among others. Some of these activities would also take place nationwide at the regional

and district levels of the association.

Present at the launching were the General Secretary, Mr. Thomas Tanko Musah, National Officers of the association,

Western Regional Executive,  teachers, learners, and other stakeholders.

Source: The GNAT

The Teacher’s Fund of GNAT has seen significant increases in membership as 17,000 new members enrolled unto the Fund in the year 2022. 

Due to the collaborative efforts of the GNAT and the Fund, teachers who were GNAT members hitherto not members of the Teacher’s Fund

have now joined the Fund. This has increased the membership base of the Fund and resulted in its growth.

The Board Chairman of Teachers Fund, Mr. David Kattah made this known at the Fund’s Annual General Meeting held in Abankro near Ejisu in

 the Ashanti Region.It is worthy to note that most of these new members enrolled as optional contributors who are contributing above the

minimum threshold of  GH₵ 50. As at the end of 2022, 58.6% of the total membership of the Fund which was 264,966 were optional

contributors to the Fund. There has been 11% growth and increase in the monthly contribution of members in  the year 2022 compared 

to the previous year.

In the recent developments, thirty percent increment in the salary of public sector workers with effect from January 2023 also resulted in an

increase in the disposable income of members hence the affordability to access more loan facilities from the Fund. This caused an increase in

loan applications received from members being far above the projected disbursement for the year 2023, which had a little toll on the Fund. 

From January 2023 to the end of August 2023, total loans disbursed stands at GH₵ 987.50 million which is 118% of the Annual Budget for 2023.

Despite the challenges the Ghanaian economy faced with a deceleration in 2022, the Fund saw increases in its total revenue from GH ₵ 290.44 million in 2021 to GH₵ 340.36 million in 2022 representing a growth rate of 17.19%. 

 This is a prove that the Fund is growing consistently with more contributors and serving its purpose as a source of investment for the GNAT member and also an optional retirement package for the teacher.

The three Teacher Unions in the Ghana Education Service released statement on unresolved grievances of teachers. Below is the statement 

President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Rev. Isaac Owusu has complained on the Ghana Education Service’s (GES) failure to consult the teachers before making changes to the reopening date.

This comes after the Ghana Education Service issued a statement announcing 25th of September 2023 as the new date for the reopening of secondary schools.

Speaking on Campus Exclusive this morning, he lamented on the failure of the Ghana Education Service to consult members of the Teachers Association in their decision making process.

“They did not consult us as a union before rescheduling the date. Well, that should have been the ideal situation but this is not the first time. You know it is a challenge that is confronting us as a people; when there are stakeholders within a particular jurisdiction a decision is about to be taken, at least the ideal way should have been to consult the teacher unions. But this thing  doesn’t normally happen because sometimes the [GES] feels that as an entity, they have the authority to carry out decisions without consulting other unions integral to the matter of concern.”

Reverend Owusu further urged the Ghana Education Service to ensure that the necessary resources are provided to facilitate activities in the senior high schools.

He also drew light on the effect of the reschedule on senior high schools across the country.

“Well certainly it will affect the teachers, the students and even the other stakeholders, the non -teaching staff. You know when you give a date for a reopening, every stakeholder prepares themselves to meet the set date. So if someone would have wanted to travel because he or she is aware that maybe on the 14th of September I must resume work, that person will cut off if there should be any traveling within that week. But if somebody would have wanted to travel maybe within that two days or a week and then later on and the person later on comes to find out that my reopening date has been rescheduled, you have also cost the person.”

First-year Senior High School and Senior High Technical School (SHS/SHTS) students are expected to return to their schools on September 25, 2023, as directed by the management of the GES.