A few days ago, the Ghana National Association of Teachers, GNAT, launched the GNAT Week at Sunyani, to herald the actual celebration of the World Teachers Day at the same venue, come October 5. This year’s celebration is on the theme “Teachers Wanted: Reclaiming Teaching and Learning for Human-centred Recovery”.

The World Teachers Day, also known as the International Teachers Day, owes its origin to the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers, adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, and the International Labour Organization, ILO, on 5th October, 1966. The Recommendation was premised on applying a set of common standards and measures to teachers wherever they are, and ensure they make use of all the talent and intelligence available as an essential contribution to continued moral and cultural progress, as well as economic and social advancement, all in the contribution to the development of man and modern society.

For the purpose of this write up, we shall define education as the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs and habits, both formally and informally in a learning environment (i.e. school) under the guidance and direction of educators (i.e. teachers). In actual fact, the educators should facilitate the process of learning, and ensure that whatever they impart, should have formative effects, in the long run, on the way the learners think, feel and act. In essence, the educator should help the learners to acquire knowledge, competence and virtue, to better themselves and society at large.

How should the educator/teacher fit himself into the scheme of things, and be atop of it? The educator/teacher should regard teaching as a profession – i.e. a form of public service which requires that he possesses expert knowledge and specialised skills acquired and maintained through rigorous and continuing study. He should also know he has personal and corporate responsibility for the education and welfare of the learners (pupils) in his charge.

In addition to the professional knowledge and skills, he should also possess the necessary moral, and physical qualities, and be free from any form of discrimination, on grounds of race, colour, sex, religion, national or social origin, or economic condition. He should be prepared to cooperate closely with parents in the interest of pupils, but be protected against unfair or unwarranted assault, battery and interference by parents in matters which are essentially the teacher’s professional responsibility.

Teachers should be free to devise and make use of such evaluation/techniques as they may deem useful for the appraisal of pupils’ results. They should also exercise the utmost care to avoid accidents to pupils.

The Teacher Training Institutions: The purpose of the teacher-preparation or training programme should be to develop in each student, his general education and personal culture, his ability to teach and educate others, develop in him, an awareness of the principles which underlie good human relations, within and across national boundaries; indeed the Institution should inculcate in him, a sense of responsibility to contribute both by teaching and by example, to social, cultural and economic progress.

The Employer: The employer (and the teachers themselves) should recognise the importance of in-service education, which should be designed to secure a systematic improvement of the quality and content of education and of teaching techniques. Refresher courses should also be provided, as and when necessary.
The organization and structure of the Supervising body – the Education Service, should provide adequate opportunities for, and recognition of additional responsibilities to be exercised by individual teachers, on condition that those responsibilities are not detrimental to the quality or regularity of their teaching work.
Teachers should be guaranteed stability of employment and security of tenure, even when changes are made in the organization of, or within the school system.
Teachers again should be adequately protected against arbitrary actions affecting their professional standing or career.

The Rights and Responsibilities of Teachers: Teachers should enjoy academic freedom, in the discharge of their professional duties. Since they are particularly qualified to judge the learning materials and methods most suitable for their learners, they should be given the essential role in the choice and adaptation of learning materials, the selection of textbooks and the application of teaching methods, within the framework of approved programmes, and with the assistance of the educational authorities.
Teachers and their organizations should participate in the development of new courses, textbooks and teaching and learning materials. Any systems of inspection should help them in the performance of their professional tasks, and should be such as not to diminish their freedom, initiative and responsibilities. They should also be granted study leave on full pay.

The Learning (School) Environment: School buildings should be safe and attractive in overall design and layout, and lend themselves to effective teaching and use for co-curricula activities. The school premises should be properly maintained, so as not to threaten the safety and health of the pupils and teachers, in any way.

Decent housing, preferably free or subsidized, should be provided for teachers, especially in remote and outlandish areas, among other inducements.

Class size should be such as to permit teachers to give the pupils individual attention. These and all others the UNESCO and ILO 5th October, 1966 recommend(ed), concerning the status of Teachers, and the Ghana National Association of Teachers, GNAT, as a Charter/Founding Member of Education International (EI) and reputable Teacher Organization, stands fully by them.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers, GNAT, finds the theme for this year’s celebration, “Teachers Wanted: Reclaiming Teaching and Learning for Human-centred Recovery” very relevant and apt. Ghana, and for that matter, all other countries can progress, if their human resource base are formidably developed; if their people are aware and conscious of their duties and obligations to themselves and the country; if their people have nationalism and we-feeling imbued in them, then and then only would the citizenry be guaranteed a free society in which they would co-exist harmoniously with each other.

And who else to drive this expectation? Teachers, of course! They are the epitome of learning, experience and impartation of knowledge; they and they only can deliver and inculcate human-centred virtues and values in learners who would readily deliver, when they assume the mantle of leadership, when the bell sounds, and help the country to recover from any shocks and uncertainties that may face it.

This being so, then, teachers’ concerns such as salaries, arrears, lack of teaching and learning materials, re-alignment of the teaching and learning processes post-covid-19, should neither be overlooked nor ignored. Teachers must be seen as critical stakeholders and the best done to satisfy them.

On the occasion of this year’s celebration of the World Teachers Day, we wish teachers the best; to the public, we say, If you can read, thank a teacher, and remind the rest of society that, All other professions and professionals can boast, but the teacher taught them all!!

Let us all remember that education makes a people easy to lead, …but difficult to enslave (L.H. Brougham).
Thank you!!

SIGNED AND ISSUED BY
THE GHANA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS

THOMAS T. MUSAH
GENERAL SECRETARY

DATED:30TH SEPTEMBER, 2021

As part of the activities to commemorate the 2021 edition of World Teachers’ Day and the Ghana Teacher Prize,
the National Officers of the GNAT visited teachers in island communities in the Brong Ahafo GNAT region.

The visit which was led by the National President, Madam Philippa Larsen, was climaxed with a durbar which
was organized by the chiefs and opinion leaders of the communities in honor of the National Officers. The
communities visited were Akpoklikope, Old Nkomi, Okpalama, Wayakope and Lala.

Madam Philippa Larsen commended the communities for taking up the initiative of building the primary schools
themselves. She noted that the delegation brought huge blessings to the communities and that she believes the
visit will attract various stakeholders and Corporate Ghana to build JHS for the Nkomi community and its
surrounding villages. She commended the teachers for their dedication and commitment to work in the community

even though conditions in the community were not favorable. Her prayer for the community was that the school
will produce a public figure in future.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Daniel Affadu (Deputy General Secretary, Administration & Labour Relations)
mentioned that, World Teachers’ Day is a global event which is celebrated on 5th October annually. He added
that in the past years, the celebration was usually launched in Accra and donations were made to learners,
teachers and schools in deprive communities.

This year however, the leadership of GNAT decided to extend the gesture to other regions and as such the
Brong Ahafo region was decided upon for the launching and donation exercise. The decision was to afford the
National Officers the opportunity to have firsthand experience of the conditions under which teachers in the
region, particularly the island communities are working.

Mr. Affadu concluded that having travelled almost an hour by boat to the Island and after assessing the accommodation
of teachers, classrooms among other things, the National Officers will add their voices to that of the teachers in drumming
home their desire for assistance from stakeholders especially the GES and the Ministry of Education.

The Officers donated Forty (40) Dual Desk, eight (8) Teachers Tables and Chairs, one (1) Solar Panel, One Hundred (100)
Life Jackets to the five primary schools in the Island communities through the District Director of Education to aide
teaching and learning in the area.

The Common Core Programme (CCP) which was initially supposed to be a four-year programme spanning from

JHS 1 to SHS 1 has been reviewed to three years.

This was revealed by the Deputy Director General (Access and Quality) of the Ghana Education Service,
Dr. Kwabena Bempah Tandoh at a symposium organized by the National Teaching Council as part of the
activities marking this year’s Ghana Teacher Prize (GTP).

In his presentation, Dr. Tandoh noted that the CPD was reviewed due to logistical constraints as
the system could not withstand the migration of over 500,000 students to basic 10. In other to address
the challenge, a committee was set up by the minister of education with the mandate of reviewing and
spreading the four years into three years.

A Consultant on the Standard Based Curriculum who was also at the symposium clarified that the CCP is
an aspect of the Standard Based Curriculum and not a separate structure and as such the public should
not be confused.

It would be recalled that the CCP was initially supposed to be implemented at the start of this academic
year following the training of selected teachers who were to serve as Trainers of Trainees (TOT).

At the start of the academic year however, it was unclear whether schools were to start the implementation
or resort to the old curriculum as the JHS teachers were yet to be trained.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) yesterday launched the 2021 GNAT Week and the World Teachers Day celebration in Sunyani in the Bono Region.

Teachers in the country will join their counterparts around the world to commemorate the day, which falls on October 5, 2021, in Sunyani.

The event will be on the theme: “Teachers wanted: Reclaiming teaching and learning for human-centred recovery”.

And as part of activities lined-up for the day, all districts of the country will organise quizzes on the theme, play games, embark

on excursions, among other activities. The GNAT Week, which will be observed prior to the commemoration of the day, will be used to sensitise

the public to the plight of teachers in the discharge of their duties. 

The GNAT used the occasion as an opportunity to make donation to  50 brilliant but needy pupils with school uniforms, bags, canvas boots with socks, exercise books,

supplementary readers, pens and pencils to encourage them to stay in school.

The General-Secretary of GNAT, Mr Thomas Tanko Musah, said this year’s launch was unique, since it was the first time it was done outside Accra, the national capital.

He said the change in venue of the launch was to give opportunity to members of GNAT and pupils and students in the region to have a feel of the celebration and how

teachers contributed significantly to the socio-economic development of the country. Mr Musah further explained that the association decided to donate the items to

schools on the islands because of the difficulties teachers there went through because of the unavailability of teaching and learning materials.

The President of the association, Ms Philippa Larsen, said statistics from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) showed that

more than 25.8 million teachers were needed to provide every child with primary education by 2030. She said being the mother teacher union and major stakeholder in the educational enterprise in the country, GNAT would continue to play its role in ensuring that effective teaching and learning went on smoothly in schools. Ms Larsen, however, appealed for more government and public support to enable members to  discharge their responsibilities efficiently.

Source UNESCO    

The goal of the UNESCO-Korean Funds-in Trust ICT Transforming Education in Africa project is to improve learning outcomes and acquisition of 21st century skills (digital literacy, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, and innovation) through the appropriate use of information and communication technologies (ICT) by educators. The first phase of the project ran from 2016 to 2019 and focused on Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Senegal have been selected for this Phase II.

Hybrid Emergency Remote Teaching Training for Teachers

In partnership with Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS), UNESCO through the Korean government supported Junior and Senior High school teachers to acquire digital skills in remote teaching to prepare them for future shocks and disruptions to teaching and learning. Overall, fifty-one (51) teachers representing 35 males and 16 females selected from all the districts in the Western region benefited from the training. 

Participants were taken through Microsoft Word and Presentation Software, Email for teaching and the use of Learning Management Systems focusing on Moodle.

This is the third of the pilot training series being organized in Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Northern regions in Ghana. The 3-Day hybrid Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) training was organized from 17-19 August 2021 in Takoradi in the Western region.

Some teachers expressed appreciation to UNESCO and partners for the opportunity to acquire ICT skills to improve learning outcomes for students.

In his concluding remarks, Mr. Thomas Musah, General Secretary of GNAT thanked UNESCO and the Korean Government for contributing to human resource development of Ghana by equipping teachers with ICT skills to enhance professional development. 

Source: Educational International               published 21 September 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an enormous toll on education. Beyond school closures and lost learning, we have lost countless educators.

In the Indian province of Uttar Pradesh more than 1,600 teachers died of COVID-19. That is just one province in one country. In South Africa more than 1,650 teachers died of COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2021.

In the United States, as of September 17, 2021, at least 1,116 active and retired K-12 educators and personnel have died of COVID-19. In Paraguay, a country with fewer people than Paris, more than 300 teachers have died.

The death of one educator is a tragedy for their family, students, and community. The death of so many educators around the world has an absolutely devastating impact on the profession and education as a whole.

Teacher memorial

In the lead up to this year’s World Teachers’ Day – October 5th, 2021 – Education International has launched a memorial website to honour and remember the

colleagues we have lost - www.teachercovidmemorial.org

Please use the website to share the stories of friends, colleagues, mentors who have passed away during the pandemic.

Tribute event

This World Teachers’ Day, Education International will host a virtual, global tribute event in their honour. On October 5th we will come together to remember and honour those we lost and who are

forever present in our minds. We will celebrate their life’s work, their dedication to their students, colleagues, and their profession and we will commit ourselves to taking their mission forward.