Spead Lead
12-01-10
THE National Accreditation Board (NAB) says only the All Nations University in Koforidua has been accredited to offer a programme in oil and gas in the country.
It has, therefore, cautioned members of the public wanting to pursue such a programme in any institution to cross-check with the board before applying.
The Executive Secretary of the NAB, Mr Kwame Dattey, who said this in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said not even a single public university had been accredited to offer such a programme.
He said two public universities, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Science and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, had applied to run programmes in petro-chemicals.
He said the NAB was ready to grant accreditation to institutions that intended to run the course, provided they met the requisite requirements needed for such programmes.
Mr Dattey said the NAB had set up a quality assurance committee that sent out academic auditors to conduct random checks on the qualification of students and lecturers in various tertiary institutions.
The move, he said, was to prevent the institutions from admitting and using unqualified students and lecturers, saying that the quality assurance committee was set up to know whether or not institutions were still conforming to the rules and regulations under which they were supposed to operate.
He noted that the board had identified about five private tertiary institutions that were engaged in such a practice.
Mr Dattey did not mention the names of the institutions and said the board had asked them (institutions) to withdraw the unqualified persons, failure of which the names of those institutions would be published, after which their accreditation would be withdrawn.
He said the checks were ongoing and that all the 57 accredited private institutions would be covered under the checks, adding that there were rules and regulations guiding the operations of educational institutions in the country.
On the qualification of students to enter tertiary institution, he said the minimum was aggregate 24 in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) or its equivalents.
Mr Dattey said a lecturer in a tertiary institution must have a research degree, since teaching did not only involve imparting of knowledge but also research.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Ghana is a beacon of democracy-Maduekwe
Page 17
13-01-10
THE Nigerian Foreign Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, has described Ghana as the beacon of peaceful democratic transitions in Africa.
Addressing a public lecture on the topic: Ghana-Nigeria Relations, Chief Maduekwe said the smooth transitions from one government to another were clear manifestations of Ghana’s growth in democracy.
According to him, Ghana-Nigeria relations dated way back when personalities such as Nnamdi Azikiwe caught the spirit of political struggle in Ghana.
“He made Ghana is home,” he said, after which he joined the Pan-African struggle.
The Ghanaian Foreign Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, said Ghana-Nigeria connection dated back not only through bilateral relations, but multilateral relations as well.
He said the two countries considered themselves sister states, while their citizens saw themselves as brothers and sisters.
He said for the two countries to have vibrant economies, there was a need for integration, which the two Presidents, Prof. J.E.A. Mills and Musa Yar’Adua were passionate about.
Alhaji Mumini said the only way to build a strong, resilient economy was through integration, and indicated that Prof. Mills had made integration the flagship of his foreign policy.
The prosecution of foreign relations, he said, had assumed new dimensions of economic diplomacy. He said the current government was looking to expanding the frontiers of trade with other countries, find new markets, popularise made-in-Ghana goods, build a robust economy and showcase the country’s tourism potentials.
13-01-10
THE Nigerian Foreign Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, has described Ghana as the beacon of peaceful democratic transitions in Africa.
Addressing a public lecture on the topic: Ghana-Nigeria Relations, Chief Maduekwe said the smooth transitions from one government to another were clear manifestations of Ghana’s growth in democracy.
According to him, Ghana-Nigeria relations dated way back when personalities such as Nnamdi Azikiwe caught the spirit of political struggle in Ghana.
“He made Ghana is home,” he said, after which he joined the Pan-African struggle.
The Ghanaian Foreign Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, said Ghana-Nigeria connection dated back not only through bilateral relations, but multilateral relations as well.
He said the two countries considered themselves sister states, while their citizens saw themselves as brothers and sisters.
He said for the two countries to have vibrant economies, there was a need for integration, which the two Presidents, Prof. J.E.A. Mills and Musa Yar’Adua were passionate about.
Alhaji Mumini said the only way to build a strong, resilient economy was through integration, and indicated that Prof. Mills had made integration the flagship of his foreign policy.
The prosecution of foreign relations, he said, had assumed new dimensions of economic diplomacy. He said the current government was looking to expanding the frontiers of trade with other countries, find new markets, popularise made-in-Ghana goods, build a robust economy and showcase the country’s tourism potentials.
Addae-Poku heads NAGRAT
Page 17
11-01-10
MR Christian Addae-Poku has assumed the leadership of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) with a pledge that the association will use dialogue to get what is due its members.
“We will improve our relationship with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and work hard to use dialogue to resolve issues as has always been the case. This is not to say that other issues may not be on the table when the situation demands. We in turn expect commitment and fair play from management and other players in the labour industry to ensure harmonious work environment,” he said.
Mr Addae-Poku was speaking at a ceremony in which he took over the mantle of leadership of NAGRAT from Mr Kwame Alorvi, who has been President of the association since September 2003.
He said the association would pursue administrative reforms that would enable the union to meet the needs of its members, adding that the association needed reforms in its structures.
He said facilities such as the office accommodation for national and regional secretariats would have to be provided at strategic places to provide relevant service to members.
Mr Addae-Poku indicated that NAGRAT would take up responsibilities such as organising in-service training and refresher courses for teachers to improve their quality.
“What we need now is a new era of responsibility in which every teacher will have a duty to himself, his profession and society and this my colleagues and I do hereby pledge our undivided commitment,” he said.
He said poor remuneration, inadequate training and retraining, low morale in the service, high retention rate and the lack of collegial relationship in the service had denied the job its professionalism, saying that “it behoves of us all now to create the enabling environment for the profession to claim its rightful position in society if we are to achieve education for all by the year 2015”.
Mr Addae-Poku said for a decade and a half years graduate teachers had fought hard to establish the association and given it the might to amplify the voices of voiceless teachers within the GES.
Torrid and frustrating the journey had been, he said, “we have never wavered in our struggle for quality teaching and learning, better learning environment, better conditions of service for teachers as well as fulfilling our constitutional right to form or join a trade union of our choice”.
Mr Alorvi, for his part, expressed his gratitude to officers and regional executives for their support throughout his tenure of office.
“I will also like to thank the office staff both national and regional for their dedication to duty and encouragement,” he emphasised.
He said when his team of executives took over the leadership of NAGRAT on September 12, 2003, the challenges were daunting in spite of the tremendous effort put in by its pioneer officers to change things for the better.
Mr Alorvi said the challenges included a low membership drive due to the uncertainty of the association and the problem of the automatic deduction of dues from the salaries of graduate teachers by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department for an association they had not opted to join.
“In summary there was general despondency among the graduate fraternity. These problems had to be confronted headlong by leadership bringing us into a collision course with those who did not want to see reason. We confronted the GES and its council, the Ministry of Education, Controller and Accountant General’s Department, heads of schools Ministers of State, National Security apparatus, the National Labour Commission and even the seat of Government, the Castle,” he stated.
11-01-10
MR Christian Addae-Poku has assumed the leadership of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) with a pledge that the association will use dialogue to get what is due its members.
“We will improve our relationship with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and work hard to use dialogue to resolve issues as has always been the case. This is not to say that other issues may not be on the table when the situation demands. We in turn expect commitment and fair play from management and other players in the labour industry to ensure harmonious work environment,” he said.
Mr Addae-Poku was speaking at a ceremony in which he took over the mantle of leadership of NAGRAT from Mr Kwame Alorvi, who has been President of the association since September 2003.
He said the association would pursue administrative reforms that would enable the union to meet the needs of its members, adding that the association needed reforms in its structures.
He said facilities such as the office accommodation for national and regional secretariats would have to be provided at strategic places to provide relevant service to members.
Mr Addae-Poku indicated that NAGRAT would take up responsibilities such as organising in-service training and refresher courses for teachers to improve their quality.
“What we need now is a new era of responsibility in which every teacher will have a duty to himself, his profession and society and this my colleagues and I do hereby pledge our undivided commitment,” he said.
He said poor remuneration, inadequate training and retraining, low morale in the service, high retention rate and the lack of collegial relationship in the service had denied the job its professionalism, saying that “it behoves of us all now to create the enabling environment for the profession to claim its rightful position in society if we are to achieve education for all by the year 2015”.
Mr Addae-Poku said for a decade and a half years graduate teachers had fought hard to establish the association and given it the might to amplify the voices of voiceless teachers within the GES.
Torrid and frustrating the journey had been, he said, “we have never wavered in our struggle for quality teaching and learning, better learning environment, better conditions of service for teachers as well as fulfilling our constitutional right to form or join a trade union of our choice”.
Mr Alorvi, for his part, expressed his gratitude to officers and regional executives for their support throughout his tenure of office.
“I will also like to thank the office staff both national and regional for their dedication to duty and encouragement,” he emphasised.
He said when his team of executives took over the leadership of NAGRAT on September 12, 2003, the challenges were daunting in spite of the tremendous effort put in by its pioneer officers to change things for the better.
Mr Alorvi said the challenges included a low membership drive due to the uncertainty of the association and the problem of the automatic deduction of dues from the salaries of graduate teachers by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department for an association they had not opted to join.
“In summary there was general despondency among the graduate fraternity. These problems had to be confronted headlong by leadership bringing us into a collision course with those who did not want to see reason. We confronted the GES and its council, the Ministry of Education, Controller and Accountant General’s Department, heads of schools Ministers of State, National Security apparatus, the National Labour Commission and even the seat of Government, the Castle,” he stated.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Students Loan Extended To Non-SSNIT guarantors
Spead Lead
People who are not contributors to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), can now guarantee for students seeking loans from the Students’ Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) to pursue tertiary education in the country.
The move follows the introduction of a guarantor diversification initiative by the SLTF for the benefit of students.
Taking his turn at the Meet-the-Press series in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, said, “The facility will enable non-SSNIT contributors to act as guarantors for students’ loan applicants. Through this diversification, district assemblies, corporate bodies and individuals, as well as SSNIT contributors, will be able to provide guarantees for students.”
He said it was the intention of the government that every qualified student who needed financial support accessed funding, adding that the ministry would continue to support the Students Loan Scheme with resources and assistance.
On basic education, he said the country had moved close to meeting its targets on enrolment but noted that a lot needed to be done to achieve universal primary education.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said statistics on the various stages of the basic level of education indicated that at the pre-school level, the number of public schools increased from 11,140 in 2007/2008 academic year to 11,827 at the beginning of the 2008/2009 academic year.
According to him, the total number of children enrolled at the pre-school level increased from 1,258,483 in the 2007/2008 academic year to 1,338,454 in the 2008/2009 academic year, stating that there was also “a two per cent increase in the number of public schools during the period under review”.
The number of schools rose from 13,247 to 13,510 in the respective years. Public primary school saw enrolment rising from 2,990,773 in the previous academic year to the current 3,041,895. That had brought the current number of primary school pupils to 3,710,647, representing a 2.6 per cent increase over the previous enrolment number of 3,616,023.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said overall enrolment at the junior high school (JHS) increased by five per cent from 1,224,010 in 2007/2008 to 1,285,577, pointing out that there had been some improvement in the completion rate indicator at both the primary and JHS stages.
On senior high school (SHS) education, he said enrolment increased from the 437,771 in 2007/2008 to 490,334 in 2008/2009.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said although there was an increase in the number of public technical schools from 24 to 26, enrolment into such institutions dropped from 20,303 to 18,432.
With regard to the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), he said, “our observation is that the system still has challenges”, adding that the next stakeholders meeting to discuss the matter would be held this month.
“The ministry has taken note of the implications for enrolment into technical vocational institutions arising from the introduction of the CSSPS. This situation is being addressed by the revised CSSPS system,” he said.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said new modalities for teacher deployment were being developed, and that the new deployment procedures would promote equity in the allocation of teachers to reduce overlaps that had plagued the educational system.
He said Religious and Moral Education at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) would become an examinable subject from 2011.
People who are not contributors to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), can now guarantee for students seeking loans from the Students’ Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) to pursue tertiary education in the country.
The move follows the introduction of a guarantor diversification initiative by the SLTF for the benefit of students.
Taking his turn at the Meet-the-Press series in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, said, “The facility will enable non-SSNIT contributors to act as guarantors for students’ loan applicants. Through this diversification, district assemblies, corporate bodies and individuals, as well as SSNIT contributors, will be able to provide guarantees for students.”
He said it was the intention of the government that every qualified student who needed financial support accessed funding, adding that the ministry would continue to support the Students Loan Scheme with resources and assistance.
On basic education, he said the country had moved close to meeting its targets on enrolment but noted that a lot needed to be done to achieve universal primary education.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said statistics on the various stages of the basic level of education indicated that at the pre-school level, the number of public schools increased from 11,140 in 2007/2008 academic year to 11,827 at the beginning of the 2008/2009 academic year.
According to him, the total number of children enrolled at the pre-school level increased from 1,258,483 in the 2007/2008 academic year to 1,338,454 in the 2008/2009 academic year, stating that there was also “a two per cent increase in the number of public schools during the period under review”.
The number of schools rose from 13,247 to 13,510 in the respective years. Public primary school saw enrolment rising from 2,990,773 in the previous academic year to the current 3,041,895. That had brought the current number of primary school pupils to 3,710,647, representing a 2.6 per cent increase over the previous enrolment number of 3,616,023.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said overall enrolment at the junior high school (JHS) increased by five per cent from 1,224,010 in 2007/2008 to 1,285,577, pointing out that there had been some improvement in the completion rate indicator at both the primary and JHS stages.
On senior high school (SHS) education, he said enrolment increased from the 437,771 in 2007/2008 to 490,334 in 2008/2009.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said although there was an increase in the number of public technical schools from 24 to 26, enrolment into such institutions dropped from 20,303 to 18,432.
With regard to the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), he said, “our observation is that the system still has challenges”, adding that the next stakeholders meeting to discuss the matter would be held this month.
“The ministry has taken note of the implications for enrolment into technical vocational institutions arising from the introduction of the CSSPS. This situation is being addressed by the revised CSSPS system,” he said.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said new modalities for teacher deployment were being developed, and that the new deployment procedures would promote equity in the allocation of teachers to reduce overlaps that had plagued the educational system.
He said Religious and Moral Education at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) would become an examinable subject from 2011.
Make Teaching Attractive
01-08-10
Page 17
THE President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mr Joseph Kwaku Adjei, has underscored the need for the country to make the teaching profession attractive at all levels of the educational system to make it appealing to brilliant students.
“Young people should no longer choose the teaching profession as the least favoured alternative because they fail to find employment in another sector. Being a teacher must be a choice borne out of a passionate desire, motivation and commitment,” he said.
Mr Adjei said this at the opening of the third quadrennial and 50th national delegates conference of the GNAT in Accra .
The conference which was attended by about 750 delegates is on the theme: “Investing in People to achieve Quality Education by 2015”.
He said teaching should be made sufficiently attractive to retain educators, adding that “it is sad to state that the teaching profession continues to be devalued over the years and successive governments continue to pay lip-service to improvements that are needed to bring it to a better pedestal”.
“Posterity will judge us if we should allow the education sector to be blighted in this way,” he emphasised.
According to him, the second Millennium Development Goal (MDG) set by the United Nations (UN) that all children should receive primary education by 2015 was simultaneously the world’s most important goal since education was critical to the survival of the next generation.
Mr Adjei said education was undoubtedly the driving force to the achievement of the rest of the MDGs.
“It is on record that today there are approximately 70 million children globally who were not in school. In Ghana, over 800,000 children are out of school; 70 per cent of these are rural dwellers,” he stated.
Mr Adjei cited reasons for the high number of out- of school children to include the neglect of rural basic education by successive governments, in comparison with urban basic education.
He described the incident as unfortunate since the bulk of the country’s foreign exchange was derived from gold, cocoa and non-traditional exports which were found and produced in the rural areas.
On the issue of better conditions of service for public sector workers, he said, the situation where the government responded to the plight of such workers only when they threatened industrial action should be a thing of the past since it did not augur well for good and healthy industrial relations.
Mr Adjei, therefore, urged employers to respond promptly to the “needs of employees to enhance industrial harmony at all times”.
He appealed to the President to make the Bawku conflict a top priority and inculcate into the traditional rulers and the citizenry, the spirit of dialogue to resolve conflicts since there could be no peace in the country with a section of the population under siege.
The President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, who opened the conference, gave the assurance that the government was this year feverishly working towards reversing the unfortunate trend of inadequate remuneration received by public sector workers, especially teachers.
“The near implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure is a clear manifestation that the government is committed to improving the lot of teachers here on earth,” he said.
Page 17
THE President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mr Joseph Kwaku Adjei, has underscored the need for the country to make the teaching profession attractive at all levels of the educational system to make it appealing to brilliant students.
“Young people should no longer choose the teaching profession as the least favoured alternative because they fail to find employment in another sector. Being a teacher must be a choice borne out of a passionate desire, motivation and commitment,” he said.
Mr Adjei said this at the opening of the third quadrennial and 50th national delegates conference of the GNAT in Accra .
The conference which was attended by about 750 delegates is on the theme: “Investing in People to achieve Quality Education by 2015”.
He said teaching should be made sufficiently attractive to retain educators, adding that “it is sad to state that the teaching profession continues to be devalued over the years and successive governments continue to pay lip-service to improvements that are needed to bring it to a better pedestal”.
“Posterity will judge us if we should allow the education sector to be blighted in this way,” he emphasised.
According to him, the second Millennium Development Goal (MDG) set by the United Nations (UN) that all children should receive primary education by 2015 was simultaneously the world’s most important goal since education was critical to the survival of the next generation.
Mr Adjei said education was undoubtedly the driving force to the achievement of the rest of the MDGs.
“It is on record that today there are approximately 70 million children globally who were not in school. In Ghana, over 800,000 children are out of school; 70 per cent of these are rural dwellers,” he stated.
Mr Adjei cited reasons for the high number of out- of school children to include the neglect of rural basic education by successive governments, in comparison with urban basic education.
He described the incident as unfortunate since the bulk of the country’s foreign exchange was derived from gold, cocoa and non-traditional exports which were found and produced in the rural areas.
On the issue of better conditions of service for public sector workers, he said, the situation where the government responded to the plight of such workers only when they threatened industrial action should be a thing of the past since it did not augur well for good and healthy industrial relations.
Mr Adjei, therefore, urged employers to respond promptly to the “needs of employees to enhance industrial harmony at all times”.
He appealed to the President to make the Bawku conflict a top priority and inculcate into the traditional rulers and the citizenry, the spirit of dialogue to resolve conflicts since there could be no peace in the country with a section of the population under siege.
The President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, who opened the conference, gave the assurance that the government was this year feverishly working towards reversing the unfortunate trend of inadequate remuneration received by public sector workers, especially teachers.
“The near implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure is a clear manifestation that the government is committed to improving the lot of teachers here on earth,” he said.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
GNAT to hold third Quadrennial Conference
01-01-10
THE Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) will hold its third Quadrennial and 50th National Delegates Conference from Sunday, January 3, to Friday, January 8, 2010.
The conference, which will be held on theme, “ Investing in People to Achieve Quality Education By 2015”, is expected to be officially opened by President John Evans Atta Mills.
The conference, to be held at the Auditorium of the University of Ghana Business School, will be attended by about 750 delegates and observers.
Representatives of some sister teacher organisations, including the Canadian Teachers Federation (CTF), the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), would attend the conference, the General Secretary of GNAT, Mrs Irene Duncan Adanusah, said at a press conference in Accra.
“The National Delegates Conference is the highest decision-making body of the GNAT and it is the organ that formulates policies for the governance of the association. It is held every four years and it is at this forum that major policy decisions affecting education, the teaching profession and other socio-economic issues are discussed and the necessary decisions taken,” she said.
She said the current conference would take up issues on the review of the association’s development plan and action plans for the next five years, the implementation of the National Pensions Act, the New Education Act (Act 778) and the Single Spine Salary Structure.
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah said the keynote address would be based on the chosen theme and it would be delivered by Mr Fred van Leewuen, the General Secretary of Education International.
She said there would be roundtable discussions which would be held in three stages, noting that the topics on the ‘National Pensions Act: Implementation Challenges for Employee Organisations’, would be led by Mr Daniel Aidoo Mensah of the Pension Commission and chaired by Dr T.A. Bediako, also of the Pension Commission.
She said one major item on the programme of the conference would be the election of national officers of the association, saying that those were President, Vice-President, Treasurer and the First and Second Trustees.
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah said the officers to be elected would undergo investiture at the closing ceremony.
“During this ceremony, selected GNAT activists (numbering 40) and some devoted supporting staff would be rewarded. The ceremony will be performed by the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo,” she said.
Meanwhile, Bay Port Financial Services has donated items worth GH¢24,000 to GNAT in support of the conference.
They are 1,500 Polo shirts, 500 T-shirts and 2,000 caps.
THE Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) will hold its third Quadrennial and 50th National Delegates Conference from Sunday, January 3, to Friday, January 8, 2010.
The conference, which will be held on theme, “ Investing in People to Achieve Quality Education By 2015”, is expected to be officially opened by President John Evans Atta Mills.
The conference, to be held at the Auditorium of the University of Ghana Business School, will be attended by about 750 delegates and observers.
Representatives of some sister teacher organisations, including the Canadian Teachers Federation (CTF), the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), would attend the conference, the General Secretary of GNAT, Mrs Irene Duncan Adanusah, said at a press conference in Accra.
“The National Delegates Conference is the highest decision-making body of the GNAT and it is the organ that formulates policies for the governance of the association. It is held every four years and it is at this forum that major policy decisions affecting education, the teaching profession and other socio-economic issues are discussed and the necessary decisions taken,” she said.
She said the current conference would take up issues on the review of the association’s development plan and action plans for the next five years, the implementation of the National Pensions Act, the New Education Act (Act 778) and the Single Spine Salary Structure.
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah said the keynote address would be based on the chosen theme and it would be delivered by Mr Fred van Leewuen, the General Secretary of Education International.
She said there would be roundtable discussions which would be held in three stages, noting that the topics on the ‘National Pensions Act: Implementation Challenges for Employee Organisations’, would be led by Mr Daniel Aidoo Mensah of the Pension Commission and chaired by Dr T.A. Bediako, also of the Pension Commission.
She said one major item on the programme of the conference would be the election of national officers of the association, saying that those were President, Vice-President, Treasurer and the First and Second Trustees.
Mrs Duncan-Adanusah said the officers to be elected would undergo investiture at the closing ceremony.
“During this ceremony, selected GNAT activists (numbering 40) and some devoted supporting staff would be rewarded. The ceremony will be performed by the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo,” she said.
Meanwhile, Bay Port Financial Services has donated items worth GH¢24,000 to GNAT in support of the conference.
They are 1,500 Polo shirts, 500 T-shirts and 2,000 caps.
Teachers' Lot Will Improve -President assures
01-06-09
Page 1 Lead
THE President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, has given the assurance that the government is this year feverishly working towards reversing the unfortunate trend of inadequate remuneration received by public sector workers, especially teachers.
“The near implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure is a clear manifestation that the government is committed to improving the lot of teachers here on earth,” he said.
President Mills gave the assurance when he opened the third Quadrennial and 50th National Delegates Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in Accra yesterday.
The conference, which is being attended by about 750 delegates, is on the theme: “Investing in People to achieve Quality Education by 2015”.
Already, Prof. Mills said, there had been evidence of the government’s determination to ensure that education was given its rightful place in the development of the country and mentioned the increase in the Capitation Grant and the provisions of free exercise books and free uniforms as some of the concrete measures the government had taken to improve the delivery of quality education in the country.
He identified the remuneration of teachers as one of the areas that the government would strive to improve upon so that they (teachers) would renew their commitment towards ensuring quality education in the country.
Prof. Mills said the government would do everything possible to improve education through the provision of the necessary facilities and infrastructure across the country, especially in the rural areas.
He identified four areas — the right environment, availability of teaching materials, training of teachers and co-operation between the school and the community — as vital to the delivery of quality education.
He commended GNAT for its decision of not going on strike when it announced it was going to do so, adding that the government would reciprocate the good gesture.
Prof. Mills called on the private sector to be actively involved in the provision of education so as to ensure access.
The President of GNAT, Mr Joseph Kwaku Adjei, called on the government to step up actions to improve teachers’ initial and continuing professional development, and reminded the government “about the support promised to teachers patronising distance education programmes in the University of Cape Coast and the University of Education, Winneba“.
“As a professional group, one particular area of concern to GNAT is the recruitment of non-professional teachers which is encouraged by the World Bank; this phenomenon should be vehemently opposed by all well-meaning Ghanaians because it is a means of watering down standards in our educational attainments,” he said.
GNAT, he stated, had remained a major stakeholder in the education industry of the country as it had been part of the struggle to put the country on an even keel.
“In addition, GNAT has remained neutral in the political organisation of the country and has sought to work with every government to achieve the educational goals set by successive governments. GNAT, therefore, wants to assure government of its continued commitment to and co-operation for the promotion and execution of sound policies which are in the best interest of people of this country,” he said.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, assured teachers of the implementation of the 20 per cent allowance for rural teachers, as well as the provision of other welfare packages.
The Minister of Manpower and Employment, Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao, said teachers deserved special commendation in society.
There were solidarity messages from the National Association of Graduate Teachers, Education International, Fair Wages Commission, organised labour and the National Labour Commission.
Page 1 Lead
THE President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, has given the assurance that the government is this year feverishly working towards reversing the unfortunate trend of inadequate remuneration received by public sector workers, especially teachers.
“The near implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure is a clear manifestation that the government is committed to improving the lot of teachers here on earth,” he said.
President Mills gave the assurance when he opened the third Quadrennial and 50th National Delegates Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in Accra yesterday.
The conference, which is being attended by about 750 delegates, is on the theme: “Investing in People to achieve Quality Education by 2015”.
Already, Prof. Mills said, there had been evidence of the government’s determination to ensure that education was given its rightful place in the development of the country and mentioned the increase in the Capitation Grant and the provisions of free exercise books and free uniforms as some of the concrete measures the government had taken to improve the delivery of quality education in the country.
He identified the remuneration of teachers as one of the areas that the government would strive to improve upon so that they (teachers) would renew their commitment towards ensuring quality education in the country.
Prof. Mills said the government would do everything possible to improve education through the provision of the necessary facilities and infrastructure across the country, especially in the rural areas.
He identified four areas — the right environment, availability of teaching materials, training of teachers and co-operation between the school and the community — as vital to the delivery of quality education.
He commended GNAT for its decision of not going on strike when it announced it was going to do so, adding that the government would reciprocate the good gesture.
Prof. Mills called on the private sector to be actively involved in the provision of education so as to ensure access.
The President of GNAT, Mr Joseph Kwaku Adjei, called on the government to step up actions to improve teachers’ initial and continuing professional development, and reminded the government “about the support promised to teachers patronising distance education programmes in the University of Cape Coast and the University of Education, Winneba“.
“As a professional group, one particular area of concern to GNAT is the recruitment of non-professional teachers which is encouraged by the World Bank; this phenomenon should be vehemently opposed by all well-meaning Ghanaians because it is a means of watering down standards in our educational attainments,” he said.
GNAT, he stated, had remained a major stakeholder in the education industry of the country as it had been part of the struggle to put the country on an even keel.
“In addition, GNAT has remained neutral in the political organisation of the country and has sought to work with every government to achieve the educational goals set by successive governments. GNAT, therefore, wants to assure government of its continued commitment to and co-operation for the promotion and execution of sound policies which are in the best interest of people of this country,” he said.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, assured teachers of the implementation of the 20 per cent allowance for rural teachers, as well as the provision of other welfare packages.
The Minister of Manpower and Employment, Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao, said teachers deserved special commendation in society.
There were solidarity messages from the National Association of Graduate Teachers, Education International, Fair Wages Commission, organised labour and the National Labour Commission.
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