GNAT Council issues resolutions and roadmap for teacher development

GNAT Council issues resolutions and roadmap for teacher development

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has issued a communique outlining key resolutions and a roadmap for teacher development, following its 2024 statutory national council meeting held at the GNAT Village, Abankro, in the Ashanti Region.

The four-day meeting, which took place from July 22 – 25, 2024, brought together stakeholders to deliberate on pressing issues affecting the teaching profession and chart a course for the future.

The full released communique by GNAT

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE 2024 STATUTORY NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING HELD AT THE GNAT VILLAGE, ABANKRO, NEAR EJISU, ASHANTI REGION BETWEEN 22ND – 25TH JULY, 2024

The National Council of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, GNAT, having held its 2024 annual statutory meeting at the GNAT Village, Abankro between 22nd – 25th July, 2024, and deliberated on all the issues tabled before it, do hereby issue this Communique:

1. OUTSTANDING ISSUES IN THE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT TO BE TREATED URGENTLY

Competitive, fair and professional salaries, in line with other professions that require similar levels of education are a must. The Governing Council, therefore, accepts the outcome of the just concluded Negotiations on the new Collective Agreement between the Teacher Unions and the Government.

The Council hereby urges government to keep to all its promises made and timelines provided for in the said agreement. For the avoidance of doubt:

i. Promotion from Deputy Director (DD) to Director II (DII) and then to Director I (DI) to be resolved by September 2024.

ii. The promise of the Minister for Education at the signing of the Collective Agreement (CA) on 24th May, 2024, as captured in the CA, that one month after signing of the CA, he would initiate the process of engaging the Teacher Unions for the commencement of negotiations on the Deprived Area Allowance.

Council hereby reminds the Minister for Education that his one month promise as captured in the CA elapsed on 24th June, 2024.

Council therefore entreats the Minister for Education to make good his promise.

iii. The GES to collaborate with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to ensure that the disparities in the salary levels of DD and below in the GES are corrected.

2. ADVANCING HUMAN-CENTRED EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Technology is a transformative force in education. Thus, teachers must be
made abreast of the digital revolution and artificial intelligence and taken through integrated, active and human-centred teaching and learning methods and practices to enable them to handle them with the required pedagogical skills. Council however cautions, that these tools should not become a substitute for teachers; rather, they should empower teachers to guide and address their learners’ quest for inquisitive, critical, creative and lifelong learning.

THE TM1 LAPTOPS

In the light of the above, the Governing Council cautions the Minister for
Education, that having failed to deliver or keep the promises made to the National Labour Commission, NLC, to deliver the TM 1 laptops by June ending, and now the new deadline of August 31, 2024, to ensure that this time round, every teacher whose money was deducted receives his/her laptop for the sake of peace in the industrial space.

3. URGENT NEED FOR DEDICATED FUNDING FOR PUBLIC BASIC EDUCATION IN GHANA

Council notes, that Quality Public education is not possible without
adequate funding. Thus, funding of public education should be guaranteed at a level of, at least, 6% of the gross domestic product and 20% per cent of the total government expenditure, as set out in the Education 2030 Framework for Action and should allow for increasing investment per capita in education. Such spending should be transparent and shielded from austerity measures, including policies promoted by international financial institutions. The tax revenue should allow for sustainable education financing.

4. JOBLESSNESS, HOPELESSNESS, AND HOMELESSNESS OF THE YOUTH OF GHANA

Council averred its mind to the 2018 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana, which indicated that available data from the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) in March 2017 revealed that only 10 percent of graduates found/find jobs after their first year after national service, and that, it takes up to 10 years for many graduates to secure employment.

Council also took note of the address by the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, in which he expressed serious concerns regarding the escalating youth unemployment in the country, and the warning that joblessness, hopelessness, and homelessness of the youth should not be taken lightly.

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Council therefore urges Government and all stakeholders to come together and act now, to prevent a journey to calamity whose aftermath we cannot handle, nor a journey of no return to the normalcy we all enjoy today.

5. THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF GHANA

The Governing Council, having taken note of our recent election history
and how acrimonious and tension-packed it has been, and having keenly observed current situations and happenings in the country, hereby reminds the Electoral Commission of Ghana, of the charge it has under the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, to keep the nation and protect it from self-inflicted destruction, as a result of fatal electoral mistake(s) which may rob this country not only of its peace, but also the destruction of lives and properties, before, during and after Election 2024.

6. ENSURING SUSTAINABILITY, PEACE AND DEMOCRACY IN GHANA

The Governing Council having observed the activities of the political parties in the buildup to the December 7 general election, noted with concern, the utterances of some political activists, forgetting that God put both life and death in the same house which is the tongue, which has the potential of setting the whole house (Ghana) on fire.

Council therefore urges all the political parties and activists to be mindful of their utterances, and not inflame passions, before, during and after Election 2024.

7. CALL FOR SSNIT REFORMS AND RESTRUCTURING

The Governing Council having been briefed on the issues of the SSNIT, and the SSNIT saga, and having subsequently deliberated, analysed and observed all the issues that came before it, and taken into consideration all the facts arising out of the discussions, resolved, that the current form and structure of SSNIT is not only responsible for, but also contributes significantly to making the Ghanaian worker worse off, consequently resulting in premature deaths of pensioners, and subsequently shortening their life expectancy rate, hence the tag ko fie kowu pension (literally meaning go home and die pension).

Council therefore endorsed the one month notice by Organised Labour within which SSNIT should engage Organised Labour to address all outstanding issues related to the management of our pension, to give the Ghanaian worker a bigger say in SSNIT. We hereby remind Organised Labour that the one month notice would expire on August 15, 2024, and so we are watching the deadline with keen interest.

8. THE EXERCISE OF SOVEREIGN POWER BY THE PEOPLE (ORGANISED LABOUR)

The Governing Council observed, with satisfaction, and took note of the outpour of praises, satisfaction, commendation from workers, the public, civil society organisations and the media, after the declaration of the nationwide strike by Organised Labour and the immediate response by SSNIT to terminate the sale of its 60% shares in the 4 Hotels.

This demonstrated that sovereign power of the state resides in the people. In this vein, the Council hereby calls on Organised Labour to extend this bold action to all facets of our Ghanaian life, to prevent any government from usurping the Sovereignty of the People which has caused this nation dearly, leading to galamsey, and its attendant massive destruction of our water bodies, corruption, and deliberate running down of state institutions which has led Ghana to the IMF, 17 times.

Despite all these, our political leaders have not learnt their lessons, hence the time for Organised Labour to invoke both Article 1(1) and Article 24(3) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana to demonstrate that not only do the people fight for their economic and social interests, but also sovereignty resides in them. It is now the time to put the fear of the sovereign people into every politician and Organised Labour must ensure that no political party or government takes the power of the people for granted and thereby disrespect the people who gave it (the power) to them.

9. THE NEED TO EMBRACE SOCIAL DIALOGUE

Teachers and their unions must be at the heart of policymaking in education. We must be at the table where and when decisions are made. The Governing Council therefore calls for a coordinated and institutionalised social dialogue between government and representatives of the teacher unions as the principal milieu for developing policies on education, the teaching profession and teaching in general.

THE FREE SHS BILL

In the light of the above, Council calls for the current Free SHS Bill intended to be laid before Parliament to be presented to the Teacher Unions and the other major stakeholders for their inputs to be captured in it at its embryonic stage before it is laid before Parliament.

We caution that this should not be an afterthought. The GNAT hereby serves notice, that any attempt to push the said Bill through without our inputs will result in serious consequences. Policymakers should therefore be mindful of their actions.

THE EXODUS OF TEACHERS

Council notes with concern, the alacrity with which Teachers are exiting the Service for greener pastures elsewhere, the world over. Council further notes that this exodus of teachers is attributable to the harsh economic conditions prevalent in the Country, unattractive conditions of service, and low morale among teachers.

Council thus calls on the government to address all issues pertaining to the teacher-exodus, to attract the teachers to stay in the Service, to continue to drive education, and the teaching and learning enterprise for the good of Ghana.

REVIEW OF THE LABOUR ACT 651

In the same vein, the ongoing review of the Labour Act 651, is welcome news. However, the Governing Council admonishes all duty bearers of the said review to be mindful and ensure that no one is left behind in the consensus building, neither should the Bill be passed under a certificate of urgency, nor smuggled through the process in darkness, nor on the blind side of Organised Labour.

GHANA’S AFFIRMATIVE ACTION BILL AND THE ILO CONVENTION
190

The Governing Council notes with satisfaction the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill which seeks to address the marginalization of women as well as increase the number of women in leadership in all spheres of the country.

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Council therefore urges Government to live up to expectation by implementing the provisions of the new Act to the letter as well as ratifying the ILO Convention 190 to assure women of work and home environments, free from violence and harassment, among others.

10. ENSURING A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

In view of the urgent planetary environmental crisis, Council notes that education for sustainable development, including climate and ocean literacy, should not only be of priority to all, but should also be integrated into the curricula and taught as a cross-cutting issue from the early childhood stage of education, through to the tertiary level. Teacher training and professional development should be developed accordingly, and teachers should have access to free, quality and up-to-date teaching and learning materials on these topics.

11. THE PREVAILING HARSH SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN THE COUNTRY

Council took note of the following prevailing harsh Social and Economic
Conditions in the Country and calls on the Government to address them:

1. High general cost of living.
2. Environmental Concerns.
3. Deforestation and Loss of Biodiversity.
4. Water Pollution and Sanitation Issues.
5. Climate Change and Extreme Weather Conditions.
6. Unsustainable Agricultural Practices.

12. PANACEA TO THE 17-TIME IMF BAILOUTS

Council took note of the performances of businesses and industries in Ghana and calls on the Government to offer some relief and prospects for growth of local industries, even as the country goes through the IMF programme.

Local Industries should be incentivized, to engender development of local values/supply chains for self-sufficiency in food, medical supplies and basic items. These initiatives, Council believes, would boost local production, job
creation and revenue generation.

Council hereby cautions, that without Government support the revenue
measures introduced, the forex situation and high utility tariffs could stifle investments, growth and employment prospects.

Council also notes with concern, the multiplicity of taxes imposed on local businesses and industries and their subsequent adverse effects on ordinary Ghanaians. Thus, Government should do well to abolish such taxes which are inimical to Ghanaian businesses and industries and thereby alleviate the plight of Ghanaians, ease their burdens, and help them enjoy life as they envisage from the Government.

13. GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE IN ELECTION YEAR 2024

Council calls on Government to ensure prudent expenditure (by Government), especially in this Election year 2024.

ISSUED AT THE GNAT VILLAGE, ABANKRO, NEAR EJISU, ASHANTI REGION.

SGD:
REV. ISAAC OWUSU
NATIONAL PRESIDENT

DATED: 25TH JULY, 2024

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh