Improve Teachers' Conditions -GNAT

Teachers (GNAT) has urged the government to urgently improve the service conditions of teachers and also take a second look at the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) pension scheme and improve it.

The National President of GNAT, Mr Amo Dako, who made the call noted that many teachers in the country had left the teaching field because of poor conditions of service and an unattractive pension." Mr Amo Dako was speaking at Akim Akroso in the Birim South District on Monday, where the district GNAT held the celebration of this year's International Teachers Day during which 15 retiring teachers were honoured.

He expressed concern about how teachers were being trained in the country only for them to leave for other institutions simply because of poor service conditions and the SSNIT pension, which were considered as disincentive to teachers.

A former General Secretary of GNAT, Mr Paul Osei-Mensah who suggested ways of raising academic standards of school children, said subjects being taught at the basic level must be reduced while emphasis is placed on the teaching of basic core subjects.

At the end of every school year, there should be promotional examinations from primary three to JSS three and those who fail be made to repeat the class in addition to a penalty, he said. In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Felix Owusu Agyepong, appealed to teachers to improve the quality of teaching.

He dismissed rumours that besides the 2.5 percent deduction from the SSNIT contribution of workers to the National Health Insurance Scheme, additional deductions would have to be made by workers both in active service and on retirement.

The District GNAT Chairman, Mr Agyei Kportey, said teachers in the area supported the insurance scheme but opposed the source of funding with workers SSNIT contributions.

In a resolution, the teachers threatened to "put down their chalks" if by December 31, nothing is done on the SSNIT pension scheme.