GNAT rallies support for female teachers in deprived communities

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has appealed to the Government to institute a special educational package for female teachers in deprived communities to enable them to constantly upgrade themselves.

It also called on corporate institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations, Civil Society Organisations and all relevant stakeholders to support teachers, especially females, to address felt needs and challenges impeding girl-child education in deprived communities.

The challenges facing female teachers in deprived communities, the GNAT noted, did not allow them to seek further professional knowledge and skills which were the most important tools for enhancing quality education.

Madam Helena Awurusah, the GNAT National Co-ordinator for Gender, made the appeal at the end of a three-day gender in service training for some selected teachers in the Central Region on Friday.

It was organised by GNAT with support from the Canadian Teachers Federation (CTF), under its special gender project dubbed; “Gender-Nkabom”.

The training was to equip the teachers with the needed lobbying skills and how to draw action plans to become project focal persons for their respective communities.

The participants were selected from six basic schools designated as “Nkabom” deprived schools in the Region.

Madam Awurusah alleged that female teachers in deprived communities were constantly being harassed sexually by community members, unable to access further studies, healthcare and faced serious marital problems.

She said one objective of the “Nkabom Project” was to encourage female teachers to accept postings to rural areas to serve as role models for girls in basic schools. She said the project started three years ago and aimed at mobilising local resources to create the right environment for effective academic work in schools in deprived communities.

Mr David Ofori Acheampong, the National Secretary of GNAT, said empowering women was one of the priorities of GNAT and called on female teachers to avail themselves for leadership training.

He said providing quality education was not the sole responsibility of teachers but a collaborative effort from all stakeholders including the Government and the communities where the schools were located.

Through the GNAT/CTF collaboration, many teachers had been awarded scholarships to upgrade their professional skills and commended the CTF for its continued support, he said.

Mr Acheampong called on the participants to share their experiences with their colleagues and community leaders to transform the society.

Mr William Abedi Boadu, the Regional Secretary of GNAT, called on the Ghana Education Service to support the GNAT Nkabom Project to help give teachers the needed motivation to teach in rural communities.

Mrs Carla Peterson, a member of the CTF and the facilitator, described the Project as “very significant” in creating educational opportunities for girl-children in the project communities.

She expressed satisfaction about the readiness of the participants to act as agents of change to enhance girl-child education in their respective localities.