1st July 2022

 

The President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), RevIsaac Owusu, has reiterated its demand for the government to pay the 20 per cent Cost of Living Allowance (COLA). It added that GNAT still stood by its June 30 deadline, given to the government to meet its demand.

“Yesterday, I and the General Secretary went to meet some members and we were chased out because they feel we are not doing enough,” Rev Owusu said.

“For this reason we want the Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations to note that we still stand by the June 30 deadline we have given to the government,” he added.

Rev Owusu was speaking at the GNATInvestment Forum on the theme “Ghana’s Workers Pension; Challenges and Solutions for Growth in the Next Decade” in Accra yesterday.

Organised by GNAT with the aim of providing a platform to discuss issues confronting members, the forum had in attendance delegates from all the regions in the country.

In his remarks, the Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Bright Wireko-Brobby, who represented the Minister said he understood how important the

demands of GNAT was to the welfare of its members considering the current economic conditions of the country.

He, however, noted that the inability of the government to meet with the leadership of National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Coalition of Concern Teachers (CCT) in the past two weeks had delayed the process in addressing the issue.

Mr Wireko-Brobby, therefore, pledgedthe government’s readiness to ensure that all arrears owed GNAT and all other Teacher Associations were fully paid.

The Director General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, sharing his thoughts on the theme explained the importance of the

payment of SSNIT Pension by contributors and implored workers to think of it as an insurance policy.

According to him, thinking about the scheme that way would help erase every misconception people had about it, adding that “the Pension Scheme was one of the best

compared to all other forms of pension schemes we have in the country.”

 

 

Source:  BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY

Ghanaian Times

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) sponsored several teachers and staff of the GNAT across

the country to participate in the 9th Conference of the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA)

and 11th Roundtable of Ministers of affiliate countries. The GNAT team was led by the National President and  Mr. Dagbandow Kwame,

Deputy General Secretary Education and Professional Development. The conference which was held this year at the

International Conference Centre was opened by the Chief of Staff representing the President of the Republic of Ghana.

It was organized under the theme “Unpacking Teaching and Learning in Africa for Excellence”. NAGRAT and other organizations

were formally accepted into AFTRA fratenity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFTRA is the intergovernmental umbrella of the Ministries and Agencies of Education regulating Teaching in

the 55 Member States of the African Union. Inaugurated on October 12, 2010 in Abuja Nigeria by the

Ministers of Education of Nigeria and South Africa, AFTRA has grown into a profound continental Federation

that leads policy development and implementation for the professionalization of Teaching in Africa.

 

 

 

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has received a Medal of Honour from the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA)

for his contribution to education and teaching in the country.

The AFTRA is an inter-governmental organisation of the various ministries of education and other national agencies regulating teaching in the 55 African Union (AU) member states.

The medal is the federation’s highest award reserved for African Presidents and Heads of State who have impacted the teaching profession in their respective countries.

The honour was bestowed on the President during the opening of the ninth Teaching and Learning Conference in Accra yesterday.

The five-day AFTRA conference, dubbed: “Unpacking teaching and learning in Africa for excellence”, has brought together some ministers of education from across

the continent, some regulators of the teaching profession in Africa and members of the Diplomatic Corps.

The Deputy President of AFTRA, Professor Josiah Ajiboye, presented a citation and a gold medal to the President on behalf of the federation.

The Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, who received the items on behalf of the President, said adequate qualified teachers were a key to educational delivery.

Learning outcomes

She said evidence pointed to improvement in learning outcomes in the country due to adequate professional teachers who adhered to the ethics of the profession.

Mrs Osei-Opare said the COVID-19 pandemic had taught a lesson that teachers were irreplaceable.

“The incessant craving for teachers during the difficult times in the pandemic tells us that technology can be an enabler but not a replacement for teachers

in our education,” she said.

She said as the continent invested in teaching and learning, it was essential that “we have the right professionals who are capable of breaking down

curriculums and see learning to the level of higher outcomes”.

She said the National Teaching Council, the agency responsible for regulating teaching in Ghana, had been well supported by the government to professionalise

teaching through the enactment of appropriate legislation, as well as the regulation of human and financial resources, to fully execute their mandates.

Mrs Osei-Opare commended AFTRA for taking steps to actualise constant desires to make teaching a real profession through the establishment and enforcement of

teaching standards, continuous professional development, professional values, attitudes, practices, among others.

 

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has partnered with the National Security to improve intelligence

gathering as threats of terror attacks in the subregion intensify.

General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas T. Musah said the collaboration is “expected to enable teachers compliment

efforts of the Ministry of National Security protect Ghana’s borders” and promote peace in communities.

As part of efforts to disseminate information on Ghana’s National Security Strategy, the Ministry of National

Security engaged the leadership of GNAT at all levels to “enable them inform members on why it is important

for the country’s security to be safeguarded”, he added.

National Security Coordinator, Maj. Gen. Francis Adu-Amanfoh, said, it is important that “teachers in all communities

become alert and aware of their surroundings and pick-up signals” that would complement efforts to enhance security across the the country.

He asked the officers of GNAT to also educate members on sensitive information and signals needed to assist

National Security to maintain peace internally and across Ghana’s borders.

GNAT President, Rev. Isaac Owusu, encouraged teachers to “assist security agencies in addressing conflicts” in their efforts to maintain the peace.

Within the first quarter of 2022, out of the 346 terrorists’ attacks in various African countries, 49 percent of them

have occurred in the West African subregion.

On May 11, 2022, in Togo, about 15 assailants and eight military personnel were killed during a terrorist attack.

The Ministry of National Security as part of its activities has also launched an initiative; the ‘See Something Say

Campaign’ with a toll free number, 999 made available for the public to provide information on any suspicious persons or activities.

GNAT, as the biggest union in the country, has become one of the key stakeholders for the Ministry of National

Security due to emerging instability in the West African subregion.

 

 

The Trade Unions Congress (TUC), has called on government to give public sector workers a 20% cost of living allowance (COLA).

According to the the TUC, this will help better the lot of public sector workers across the country.

Speaking at this year’s May Day Celebration at the Black Star Square, the General Secretary of the TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah, also called for

an overhaul of government’s single spine salary structure, removal of petroleum taxes and an increase in the minimum wage to bring

relief to the public sector workforce.

“I will like to conclude with a very very special request to you. Given the rising cost of living, we will like to humbly appeal to you,

to use your executive powers to grant a cost of living allowance of at least 20% to all public service workers.

I will like to appeal to you, to use your executive powers to grant a COLA of at least 20% to all public sector workers.

Here, I’m not talking only about those on single spine. I’m also talking about the Armed Forces, the Police Service, the Prison Service,

the Immigration Service, the Fire Service and all the security and intelligence agencies. The cost of living allowance must also be extended

to workers in the private sector who’re earning just GH¢365 per month”, he stated.

He also added that, “We also expect that this will be extended to all those pensioners on the SSNIT scheme who’re earning just GH¢300 a month.

Mr. President, this will not only cushion workers and pensioners from the harsh effects of inflation. But even more importantly, it will prevent

mass poverty in this country amongst the working people, who’re contributing so much to the development of our country”.

Dr. Baah reiterated the increasing cost of living in the country, and wondered why Ghanaians continue to suffer, despite the country’s assets.

“Mr. President, Ghanaians are suffering too much. This is not the country that was envisaged by our leaders who fought with their tears and

blood to gain independence for us.

God has endowed us gold, diamond, forest, ocean, oil and other resources, therefore nothing can justify the high incidents

of severe poverty, destitution and suffering in Ghana today, 65 years today.

It is obvious to us that the numerous IMF programmes in Ghana did not work. It is also clear to us that the partisan approach

to dealing with Ghana’s problems is not working”, he said.

Meanwhile, regarding the welfare of workers, President Akufo-Addo has revealed that a technical committee has been set up

by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to review the Single Spine Pay Policy.

According to him, this review is expected to give the government answers on whether or not the policy is living up to expectations.

Speaking at the May Day ceremony on Sunday, May 1, he stated that “I am also happy to announce that following the National

Labour Conference at Kwahu, the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and its tripartite partners have set up, as of

Tuesday, 26th April, a technical committee to review the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP), and advise Government accordingly”.

This year’s May Day celebration was held under the theme, “Protecting Jobs and Incomes in the era of Covid-19 and Beyond”.

President Akufo-Addo stated that the government is expecting the report on the review in July, 2021.

This, he believes, “will help us put an end to most of the unrest we see on the labour front involving public sector workers”.

The Single Spine Pay Policy was introduced by the Government of Ghana and implemented in 2010 to regulate the payment

of public service workers, especially those under Article 190 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana

They include public sector employees in the Civil Service, the Judicial Service, the Audit Service, the Ghana Education Service,

the Ghana Health Service, the Parliamentary Service, the National Fire Service, Ghana Revenue Authority, the Local Government Service,

the Police Service, and the Prisons Service, workers in non-profit public corporations, statutory public services excluding public services

such as the Parliament.The policy has however suffered some challenges.

In a review by Bossman E. Asare of the University of Ghana and Dennis Mpere, some of these challenges included a high public expectation,

dissatisfaction with the grading structure by some workers and inadequate financial and human resources facing the

Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC). Others are; inadequate education, conditions of service and allowances for workers.

President Akufo-Addo’s comment comes after some government workers over the past few months embarked on strike actions over conditions of service. 

The recent strike action is by the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG).

They went on strike on Thursday, April 21 over the nonpayment of the neutrality allowance.

They argued that despite official reminders and follow-ups, payment of the Neutrality Allowance has not been effected as agreed.

Meanwhile, aside from the review of the Single Spine Pay Policy, President Akufo-Addo said, to protect the jobs of members of organised, his office and key

stakeholders are fashioning out the right policies to protect jobs and income.

They include the rollout of employment benefits, and retraining of workers among others.