Minister for Education for Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has re-echoed that the signing of a collective bargaining agreement between teacher unions and its stakeholders was a testament of good faith that the government believed in the welfare and wellbeing of the teacher.
He believed this decent conditions of service fashioned among major actors including the Ministry of Education, Finance, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and teacher Union leaders would become the blueprint for rewarding teachers here on earth.
Dr Prempeh reminded teachers during an address at the first New Patriotic Party (NPP) Teachers’ Network Conference held in Ho on Sunday that “we have made several gains in teacher reforms and continue to strive to improve learning outcomes in the country.
He entreated all teachers to familiarise themselves with the document to know their rights, responsibilities, obligations and accountability.
He said the achievements chalked in the Sector within close to four years is unparalleled, touching on teacher welfare and wellbeing with the ability not to record major strike action or demonstrations epitomising the evidence of good leadership and craftsmanship.
Dr Prempeh, also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South enumerated some progress of the sector under his administration as connecting 37 out of 46 Colleges of Education and 600 Senior High Schools to Wifi with plans for the support of the Electricity Company of Ghana to assist to extend the same facility to all public Universities.
He said 24,000 out of 93,000 teachers have been employed by the government with additional 6,500 teachers receiving financial clearance to be employed with those teachers, who have completed their National Service and Licensure examination numbering some 16,500 receiving automatic employment.
Again, “we have restored teacher trainee allowance, affiliated all Colleges of Education among the five public Universities, developed a new Bachelor in Education teaching degree for training teachers, in tune with the new pre-tertiary curriculum.”
Mr Sammy Awuku, National Organiser of NPP said government’s progressive flagship programmes and projects targeted at providing seamless jobs for the youth could not be compared to the irresponsible “okada” riding venture by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which would “present the youth as candidates for mortuary.”
He said the NDC has been exposed on all fronts and its use of propaganda and hiding around insurgents “will not save the NDC.”
He said the gathering was intimidating as it presented the biggest assembly of teachers in the Volta region for garnering for those crucial votes for the party adding “Volta Region is alive and will come alive for the NPP.”
Mrs Mawusi Nudekor Awity, Director, National Vocational and Technical Institute (NVTI) said Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) has been livened on the assumption of the NPP-led government, who is bent on transforming the sector to champion the core industrialisation agenda of the country for economic buoyancy.
She said the government was prioritising the transformation of TVET into a tertiary status, which it is aggressively pursuing and rolling out scholarship schemes for its students to lead the charge.
Dr Mrs Gertrude Quarshiga, National Coordinator, Ghana School Feeding Programme said the implementation of the programme has made a 60 percent increment in the Volta region from the 455 schools to 748 including Oti region.
She said a menu book is being fine-tuned to standardise meals in addition to a meal planner concept towards improving on food quality and quantity.
Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister said despite COVID-19 the region chalked some successes including the introduction of radio reading programme to engage pupils at home, with Kpando municipality producing the Best Kindergarten Teacher at this year’s Ghana Teacher Prize and an incident-free Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Mr Makafui Kofi Woanya, Volta Regional Chair of NPP, who presided eulogised the crucial role of teachers as the largest single professional grouping in the country, whose contribution to the socio-economic development of the country could not be underestimated.
He said their role in the upcoming elections serving as party and collation agents makes teachers more crucial whose reward should be here on earth no longer in heaven.
He said, “teachers are shaping the destiny of citizens and would have to extend that to the electioneering verdict.”
Mr Frank Donkor, Coordinator, NPP Teachers’ Network, said the membership has an objective to tout the numerous unprecedented achievements of government especially in the Educational sector for appreciation by the masses targeted at renewing the mandate of President Akufo-Addo.
