STOP FOOT DRAGGING OVER PENSION — GNAT (PAGE 19)

THE Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has expressed concern over the foot dragging by the government in the implementation of the national pension scheme.
It pointed out that the undue delay was not only irritating, but likely to affect the welfare of thousands of dedicated and committed teachers who had sacrificed to train the human resource that the country needed for its development.
The President of GNAT, Mr Joseph Kweku Adjei, who expressed the concern, pointed out that the foot dragging was a bother to teachers who were suffering under the SSNIT Pension Scheme.
He said teachers should not be made to weep when they go on retirement, adding that “the foot dragging on the part of government on the launch of the National Pension Scheme will not augur well for labour relations in Ghana”.
In a speech read on his behalf at the third Ashanti Regional quadrennial GNAT delegates conference in Kumasi, Mr Adjei pointed out that it took teachers series of demonstrations to get the previous government’s attention to replace the existing SSNIT pension scheme and it would be unwise for teachers to sit by and watch the old scheme rolling month after month and aggravating their plight.
About 450 delegates attended the conference, which was on the theme, “The teacher, the pivot of human capital and national development — his professional and socio-economic challenges.”
On the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure, Mr Kweku Adjei said GNAT was aware that the Fair Wages Commission had already submitted a memorandum to the Cabinet.
He said the Executive of GNAT had proposed to meet the Minister of Education and the Director–General of the Ghana Education Service to deliberate on issues affecting the welfare of teachers.
Mr Adjei also expressed concern about the shortage of teachers in areas such as the Sciences, English Language and Technical subjects, and therefore urged the sector ministry to exclude such subjects from the quota system that regulates study leave for teachers.
This, he said, would enable as many teachers as possible who had the know-how in these specialised fields to be trained to address the shortage of such teachers.
He advised members not to allow political persuasions to divide their ranks, stressing that “governments come and governments go but the profession remains”.
In his welcoming address, the regional chairman, Mr Augustine Mensah, said since the wealth of any nation totally depended on its human resources who were trained by teachers, the teaching profession should be accorded the requisite status.
This, he said, would go a long way to motivate teachers and also ginger them to continue working hard to sustain the production of the nation’s human resources.
“Human resource development is a life-long process. It requires an articulate vision and mission and commitment of every nation to make a great investment in its people in order to make life meaningful for them.