By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu
Big Ada, Feb. 28, GNA – The Ada branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has lauded President John Dramani Mahama’s announcement that the government intends to build teachers’ apartments attached to every new school building.
The association noted that the move would improve teaching and learning and save teachers from accommodation stress when posted to their schools, especially in rural areas.
Mr Ato Kwamina Dompoh, chairman for GNAT, Ada, reacting to the president’s announcement in the State of the Nation Address (SONA), told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that they were enthused about it and are waiting for its implementation.
The president, as part of the government’s policies for the educational sector, revealed that there will be a ‘Dabr3 initiative’ that will facilitate the construction of teacher accommodation units to improve welfare and attract teachers to rural areas, pledging that the initiative will commence this year.
Mr. Dompoh said that there was the need to have a teacher’s bungalow attached to every school to ensure proper management of the school and to reduce teacher absenteeism and lateness to school.
He appealed that the bungalow should not be limited to Senior High Schools and Training Colleges, but also basic schools, noting that this would ensure smooth and effective running of the schools.
He noted that in the Ada area, some teachers travel for over five kilometres to teach every day, which he stressed consumes time and money, adding that the situation sometimes exposes some of the teachers to accidents, making it very risky for them to discharge their duties.
He added that some teachers in Ada travel across the river in and out of school daily, putting their lives at risk due to no proper accommodation for them.
Mr Dompoh asserted that the president has been in office before and knows the woes of education and therefore urged him to get the ground running as it was doable.
He encouraged teachers in the area to relentlessly continue discharging their responsibilities professionally, reminding them that when such a project commences, they must know that all teachers may not benefit.
“Not all of us will be satisfied, so as the president commences the policy, we can also call for the building of bungalows for already existing schools,” he added.
GNA