The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), has presented a total of GHS154,000.00 to seven Science-based Colleges of Education in the country.
The gesture from the teacher union is to aid the schools to improve the training of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education in Ghana.
Colleges of Education have relied on government support to equip their institutions to adequately train teachers who will be spearheading the teaching of STEM in basic and second-cycle schools.
This support over the years has been inadequate.
GNAT is hoping the donation will be used to equip these institutions to train more STEM-based teachers.
The beneficiary schools are :
- St. John Bosco’s – Navrongo, Upper East Region
- Kibi – Kibi, Eastern Region
- Bagabaga – Tamale, Northern Region
- Wesley – Kumasi, Ashanti Region
- St. Francis – Hohoe, Volta Region
- Nusrat Jahan Ahmadiyya – Wa, Upper West Region
- OLA – Cape Coast, Central Region.
Making the donation, the General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah, indicated that each school has been given a sum of GHS22,000.00 to enable them to take care of infrastructure/science equipment, laboratories, and other needs.
He stated that Section 4 of the Colleges of Education Act, 2012, requires the Colleges of Education, to among others, set up well-equipped resource centers where staff, students, and serving teachers will be assisted to acquire skills in making and using teaching and learning materials for effective classroom teaching and develop close relationships with professional teacher organizations for professional development.
Mr. Thomas Musah added that “It is also worthy to note, that Article 3(1g) of the 2018 amended GNAT Constitution enjoins the Association to assist the Colleges of Education.”
“It is within this framework of friendship, commitment to the cause of Education in the Colleges of Education, and in Ghana’s schools in general, and demonstration of our welfare that the Ghana National Association of Teachers is going to the listed Science-based Colleges of Education with a total amount of GHS154,000.00. We hope the donations would be used for their intended purpose, and GNAT looks forward to just that.”
By: Kojo Agyeman