Government called upon to address overdue promotion of teachers

Madam Sarah Oye Owiredu, the Greater Accra Regional Chairperson of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called on the government to initiate measures to address the persisting delays in the promotion among the ranks of teachers. She said the situation which was prevalent within the hierarchy of teachers was a major source of anxiety that demotivate teaching in the region. Madam Owiredu made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency when the Greater Accra Regional Secretariat of GNAT held an award ceremony for teachers in the region. The award ceremony was held in Nungua in Accra. The occasion was on the theme: 'Valuing Teachers Voices: The role of the Teacher in Maintaining Peace before, during and after the December 7 Elections.' Madam Owiredu described the way teachers are being treated as pathetic and appealed to relevant authorities to address the situation to restore morale of teachers to enable them to deliver their maximum. She cited the existing case of Deputy Director s overstaying their grade for nine years, and that the situation had pushed them to the edge of retirement without benefiting from what was due them, saying, 'Such situations would certainly have negative impact on the productivity of the affected individuals.' According to her, it should not take a staff more than three years to progress to the next grade as established by rule which would boost the confidence and promote the efficiency of teachers. She said: 'It is unfortunate that one would spend a fortune to upgrade him or herself academically and face such a challenge which is a drag on teacher motivation.' The Regional Chairperson commended teachers for the exceptional role they continue to play in the region. She said: 'It is for this reason the event has been organized to reward and motivate teachers for their invaluable role in shaping the minds of individuals in the region and contributing to nation-building.' Madam Owiredu assured teachers in the region that GNAT would not relent on its resolv e in prompting the government to deliver on the best outcomes that is due them, adding that leadership was much aware of the challenges they face. Touching on the theme, she said, 'It should be the concern of all us as teachers and as Ghanaians to make the maintenance of peace in this year's election a collective civic responsibility.' 'There should be no sitting on the fence because each one of us has a role to play,'she added 'Inasmuch as we are ready and willing to play our roles as teachers in maintaining peace before, during and after the impending elections, we would like to remind the duty holders, more importantly the Electoral Commission to be fair, transparent and truthful in all they do in order to win the trust and confidence of all the stakeholders participating in the elections,' she said. In all 25 teachers from first and second cycle schools were given awards. Source: Ghana News Agency