Place pupils interest first – teachers told

Mr Ebenezer Asare-Baah, Nkoranza Municipal Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) said teachers must not place their parochial interests above their professional responsibilities.

Teachers should rather redouble their efforts to set improved academic standards among pupils and students in the municipality, he said.

Mr Asare-Baah was addressing heads of basic schools in the municipality at a meeting on Wednesday at Nkoranza in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

It was organised by the Municipal Education Directorate to discuss the educational plans and programmes for the rest of the academic year.

Mr Asare-Baah condemned the practice whereby some teachers abandoned classes and engaged in other economic activities for their personal gains and cautioned that the leadership of GNAT would not countenance the behavior of such teachers.

He stressed the need for teachers to live above reproach and eschew negative attitudes that could tarnish their image since they were role models in the communities.

Madam Philippa Banson, Nkoranza Municipal Director of Education, called on the head-teachers to report recalcitrant teachers who would prove difficult to the Education Directorate to be dealt with accordingly to serve as deterrent to others.

Madam Banson cautioned teachers against absenteeism, lateness and apathy at work and charged circuit supervisors to visit the schools regularly for such teachers to be sanctioned.

She advised head-teachers to keep accurate reports and records of all activities of their schools because such documents provided reference for both teachers and students.

Mr Kwasi Djan, Co-ordinator of the Nkoranza Municipal Education School Health Programme, appealed to head-teachers to ensure that food vendors in their schools were screened by the hospitals to prevent the children from contracting communicable diseases.

Mr Djan urged the heads to keep ‘Veronica bucket’ and soap in their school to enable their pupils to wash their hands properly after visiting the urinals and toilets.

GNA