Accra, Ghana – The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has expressed its readiness to actively participate in the upcoming National Education Forum, where it plans to highlight critical funding shortfalls within the country’s education system.
President John Dramani Mahama recently established an eight-member committee to oversee the organization of this forum, aimed at fostering public dialogue on improving Ghana’s education sector.
In an interview with Channel One Newsroom, GNAT General Secretary Thomas Tanko Musah outlined key concerns, including:
- Outstanding debts: GNAT will emphasize the significant debts owed to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the challenges in financing the School Feeding Program.
- Capitation grant arrears: The association will highlight the long-standing arrears in capitation grant payments.
- Student indiscipline: GNAT will call for reforms in the disciplinary system to address the growing concern of student indiscipline in Senior High Schools.
“The major problem facing us is funding,” Mr. Musah stated. “All the problems we are going to discuss, it is about where to get money, pay for them. And like I always say, capitation grant is in arrears for over two years. We are owing WAEC for over GH¢100 million. The school feeding, we are owing. How can we feed students GH¢1.30 a day?”
Mr. Musah further emphasized the need for a renewed focus on character education. “We will go there and bring to their attention that currently as a people, we have lost the effective aspect of training our children which has to do with character and conscience. And we will run into danger when we train children with knowledge and they don’t have character. We must revisit the issue where we have disabled the headmasters and everything, otherwise we will be in trouble in the coming years.”
