By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu has described the government’s flagship education policy of Free Senior High School as an irreversible landmark of Ghana’s educational system which implementation has largely been driven by the sacrifices of the teacher.
He has therefore called for educational reforms and systems that not only prioritizes the morale and needs of the teacher, but importantly recognises and values the important role the teacher plays to the success of such reforms
Otumfuo Osei Tutu made the call in the Oforikrom Municipality while addressing the 6th Quadrennial Delegates’ Congress of the Ghana National Teachers’ Association, GNAT.
The five-day event has delegates from the Zonal through district, regional and national levels of the Association purposed to review the state of GNAT after four years to identify challenges, progress made and plan for the next four years.
The Congress, which is on the theme: “Surviving as a Reliable and Vibrant Teacher Union in the 21st Century”, has coincided with the climax of the Association’s 90th Anniversary.
High point of the Congress will be the election of new set of National Officers to manage the Association till 2026.
A Research Consultant to GNAT, Linus Andoh, took the delegates through the newly developed five-year strategic document of the Association that not only identifies the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats it faces, but strategic plans to better position GNAT in the fast-changing industrial environment in Ghana. He commended GNAT for what it has been able to achieve , over the years in terms of investment and rural health needs of teachers.
He warned that the lack of active involvement of members at the grassroot and the absence of an alternative means of dues payment poses considerable challenges to the sustenance of the Association.
A former Vice Chancellor of the University of the University of Cape Coast, Reverend Emmanuel Addo Obeng, urged GNAT to make implementation of its planned Institute for Research and Industrial Relations a priority since it holds the key to making the Association unavoidable in any State education policy formulation and implementation, while improving on their negotiation skills to reduce the spate of industrial actions.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, urged that any new educational reform in Ghana should not only carry along and motivate the teacher as the key for successful implementation, but must, “as well aim at producing innovative and creative students to drive the national socio-economic development agenda”.
