Wiawso (W/N), April 25, GNA – The Sefwi Wiawso Municipal branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has acquired two plots of land at the cost of 13,000 cedis to enable the association to build its permanent offices.
The branch, which has no office accommodation of its own, currently operates from a rented premises.
Mr Kwarteng Kwesi Boakye, the Wiawso Municipal Chairman of GNAT, announced this at the sixth Quadrennial Delegates Conference at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region.
The conference, was under the theme: “GNAT at 90, surviving as a vibrant teacher union in the 21st century, assisting in addressing the challenges of teacher professionalism”.
The conference, would help members to know the association’s achievements and shortcomings over the past four years.
Touching on the achievements of the Association in the last four years, the chairman indicated that its membership have increased from 1,456 to 1733 from 2017 to date.
He said in collaboration with the Canadian Teacher Federation, workshops were organized for members to sharpen the skills of teachers in the Region.
Mr Boakye said in the course of the past four years, the secretariat in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service did run orientation courses for newly trained teachers who joined the service annually.
“We also organized orientation for the final year teacher trainees who passed out after the out-segment programme.”
Mr Boakye expressed concern that the organizational grants were inadequate to meet the expenditure of the association in the region.
Mr. John Oscar Kintoh, the Guest Speaker, said GNAT was established purposely to unify all pre- tertiary education teachers and to accord equal rights to all members.
“It was created to exhibit professional competence, proactive, results oriented, vibrant and discipline among its members.”
He appealed to the government and other stakeholders to protect the interest and welfare of teachers by paying their needful allowances for effective teaching and learning.
GNA