Additional non-teaching staff needed to sustain double track system – TEWU

The Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) has appealed to government to employ additional non-teaching staff to sustain the double-track system in the Senior High Schools (SHSs).

The Union lauded the introduction of the new system, but said more non-teaching staff are needed to make it successful.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani, Mr Matthew Abeaba Abereniya, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Industrial Relations Officer (IRO) of TEWU, said more drivers, school administrators, cooks, cleaners and security personnel were required for effective implementation of the system.

He stressed the readiness and commitment of the leadership and entire members of TEWU to provide the needed support to government to make the double-track system exceptional and meaningful to improve on quality education.

Mr Abereniya said “we the leadership of TEWU whole-heartedly embrace the double track system”, saying the system remained the surest remedy to address challenges of low enrolment and inadequate infrastructure due to the implementation of the free SHSs programme.

“With this laudable system, we are very optimistic that the government will up measures and provide more teaching and learning materials to make students and teachers sit comfortably in the classroom to learn”, he said.

In the interim, Mr Abereniya recommended that incentive packages should be provided to educational heads and non-teaching staff to motivate them to cope with emerging challenges in the schools.

On furniture, equipment and other physical infrastructure, Mr Abereniya said notwithstanding the double-track system, there would be continuous pressure on the existing ones.

Hence, government should endeavour to not only provide additional infrastructure but ensure the existing ones would be repaired for the smooth operation and sustainability of the system, he added.

Meanwhile, the system has successfully taken off in SHSs in the Sunyani Municipality.

When the GNA visited some of the schools on Wednesday, many fresh students had arrived and were going through admission formalities.

At the Twene Amanfo Senior High/Technical School (TASTEC), Mr Osei Marfo, the Assistant Headmaster in charge of Academics, said about 500 out of the 1,060 students placed in the school had reported.

He said the school could take additional five per cent of the quota for the academic year, saying last year only 622 students out of the total of 730 came for admission.

The situation was however different at the Sunyani SHS because around 0950 hours on Thursday when the GNA went to the place, many fresh students were sighted in queues, waiting for staff in-charge of admission to arrive to take them through the registration process and other formalities.