THE Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has organised a four-day orientation seminar for their newly-elected regional and district officers in Kumasi to help improve their proficiency in communication skills to enhance effective operations of the association.
About 47 participants, including GNAT Ladies Coordinators and Field Research Assistants, attended the seminar which sought to build their capacity in basic rudiments of public relations practice for them to promote the interest of members in their respective localities.
The seminar which was on the theme: “Effective communication of Public Relations Strategies to achieve maximum results,” formed part of the operations of the association to improve internal communication skills among members as a way of having a formidable front in addressing issues that promote their interest in particular and society in general.
The Public Relations Officer of GNAT, Mr Peter Tetteh Korda, urged the participants to focus on the seminar to enable them to become proficient in public relations.
This, he said, would enable them to recognise the need to appreciate the challenges confronting their colleagues and devise effective means of taking prompt action to address them.
“The Pubic Relations Department of the association has taken it upon itself to join the campaign to sensitise the officers since everyone in the association has a public relations function to perform,” he stated.
He noted that when this takes root in their midst, each member will be able to respond to requests for information in a manner that promotes the pursuit of the association’s goals.
Mr Korda said their operations were key to the effective development of the association, and explained that issues relating to the Trade Unions, Public Affairs and the education and professional development of the GNAT reinforced the need for them to educate their rank.
He said since teachers were still considered to be credible opinion leaders, it was important for them “to expand and deepen their frontiers of knowledge on issues such as politics, culture, the economy, religion, HIV and AIDS and International Relations for them to be of utmost benefit not only to their students, but their communities as well.”
On the implementation of the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP), Mr Korda noted that it had reached a stage of migration from the old salary structure to the Single Spine Salary Structure.
He said due to the nature of their work, the migration would be done on individual basis, but assured that “all teachers on the payroll of the Controller and Accountant-General will be migrated to the SSSS before the close of the year.”
The Assistant PRO of GNAT, Ms Aqua Kotoku, urged the participants to implore all tools of public relations when interacting with members for them to realise their desired objectives.
She advised them to devise means of having fruitful interaction with the media and also organise talk shows as a way of informing and educating members on issues that promote their interests.
She said it was equally important for them to organise annual events, regular exhibitions, frequent staff durbars, as well as conferences and press soirees, among other programmes, as a way of putting messages across to their internal and external publics.
Ms Kotoku said with regular interactions with the publics and applying the requisite communications skills and strategies, they would be able to achieve maximum results and leave a legacy that would be cherished by the present and future generations of their core members.
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