General News of Sunday, 16 July 2017
Source: kasapafmonline.com
2017-07-16
Ghana National Association of Teachers intends to protect the interest of its members
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has served notice to withdraw teachers teaching in dilapidated classrooms inimical to their safety.
According to the deputy Eastern regional Secretary of GNAT, Peter Boateng the Association will not hesitate to ask teachers to vacate post should it establish that their working environment is a threat to their lives.
Peter Boateng indicated pupils and teachers need conducive environment to enhance teaching and learning however according to him, the situation is otherwise in most rural parts of the region .
He said Education Directors who are responsible to push for better learning facilities are cashtrap and gagged by politicians worsening state of affairs.
The Deputy Eastern Regional GNAT Secretary was responding to question on the position of the Association on the numerous ramshackle – death trap school buildings collapsing in some parts of the region.
About 165 pupils and seven teachers at Yiwase M/A Primary School in the Yilo Krobo Municipality escaped death a week ago when the dilapidated classroom block built with mud in 1943 caved in. The school has since been shut down.
Meanwhile, Mintakrom M/A Primary School in the Akuapem North Municipality has also collapsed displacing about 130 pupils now studying under trees.
Many primary school buildings in the region are similarly on the verge of collapse.
Peter Boateng however mentioned that, GNAT in collaboration with Canadian Teachers Federation is implementing a project dubbed “nkabom” which seeks to get communities onboard to address salient challenges facing education in their communities which in some cases, infrastructure is built, but government must live up to its responsibilities to provide good teaching and learning facilities and materials across the country.
