By Emmanuel Gamson
Fijai (W/R), Oct. 04, GNA-Mr Mark Dankyira Korankye, the General Secretary of Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU), has called on stakeholders in the educational sector to recognize the contributions of non-teaching staff as key partners in the development of education.
He said the delivery of equitable education could only be achieved if stakeholders like the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) worked closely with all partners in the education delivery ecosystem, including the TEWU.
He made the call at the opening of the 13th Western Regional TEWU Quadrennial Delegates Conference, held at Fijai, in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.
It was held on the theme: “Fostering Partnership for Equitable Education Delivery in Ghana: The Role of TEWU.”
Mr Korankye noted that no educational institution could be sustainable without effective collaboration between management, teachers, and workers, saying, there was the need for closer linkages between them to advance quality and equitable education in the country.
He said: “the Government and other stakeholders are playing their roles in the quest to achieve equitable education delivery, but the role of the non-teacher is almost always forgotten and sometimes feels as though they do not matter.”
Mr Korankye said authorities must see non-teaching staff as people with different specialties who needed to be part of decision-making team with the aim of achieving quality and equitable education.
“Can you imagine for a moment what will happen if the kitchen staff, labourers, security personnel, administrators and all other non-teaching staff decide not to go to school for a day? This means that we must give equal attention to both the teaching and non-teaching staff for us to achieve equity in education delivery,” the TEWU General Secretary stated.
Mr Ekwaw Kyere Ocran, Western Regional TEWU Chair, noted that members of the Union faced some challenges which needed urgent attention from those in authority.
He said some members were either denied their annual leaves or have their requested duration reduced, saying “Some heads of institutions make it difficult for our members to go on their annual leaves because their request is either rejected or given a reduced period which we find it appalling.”
He spoke about other issues including the need to decentralize promotional interviews for local TEWU members, improvement in their conditions of service and the incorporation of vehicle maintenance allowances in members’ salaries, among others.
Mrs Catherine Biney, the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Director of Education, acknowledged all the concerns raised by the TEWU and said she would channel them to the appropriate quarters for redress.
She said the Ministry of Education and GES valued the support of TEWU in the provision of conducive teaching and learning environments for the delivery of quality education in the country hence, the theme chosen for the conference was laudable.
She, therefore, encouraged them not to relent on their efforts in ensuring equity in the educational sector geared towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal four in the country.
GNA