As Ghana marked World Teachers Day with the 2016 National Best Teacher Award (NBTA) yesterday, the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) have implored government to settle all arrears, allowances and salaries owed teachers over the past four years.
A statement signed and issued by the General Secretary of NAGRAT, Mr. Stanislaus P. Nabome, urged government to also expedite action on the promotion of teachers, while employing adequate and qualified ones to fill large vacancies in public schools.
It described the delay in the allowances and salaries as grave concerns to teachers, adding that it contravened logical reasoning if government claimed it valued teachers.
“Teachers’ value cannot be improved if they are overwhelmed with large class size and unbearable work-loads. Teachers status would rather be improved if they are given the appropriate tools of trade and conducive work environment to execute their functions,” it said. The statement said the theme of this year’s celebration, ‘Valuing teachers, improving their status’ should inspire stakeholders to give attention to the needs of teachers and enhance their livelihoods.
It described the theme as a clarion call on the government to support teachers as stipulated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) generally, and specifically in the Education Goal of SDG4, which pledged to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
It urged parents and other members of society to stop abusing teachers physically and verbally in situations where they did not agree with them, and rather use dialogue.
The statement commended teachers for the dedication to duty despite the challenges confronting them and further urged them to even work harder to support the growth of society.
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