GNAT calls on Gov’t to compensate teachers in double-track SHSs
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called on the central government to compensate teachers working under the double track system in various government second-cycle schools across the country.
The General Secretary of the teacher union, Thomas Tank Musah who made the call on behalf of his outfit emphasised the need for sufficient rest for the government teachers and said the double-track system strains on them.
“Giving the worker leave is good. It enables the worker to rest, refresh, prepare and come back. Even the labour law tells us that a worker cannot sell his leave. Leave now is compulsory. Even in vehicles, there’s a time every month or a time you need to go for servicing. What about you human beings?
And so the concern is that teachers who are in the double track schools are not resting and the compensation given to them is not coming.
What we all need to look at is that if the double track cannot be resolved this year, then the schools that will be doing the double track should look at what package we will have for teachers because we cannot have a system where the teachers in those schools are working 24/7 without compensation. They must be compensated,” he said.
He therefore has called on the government to develop a comprehensive compensation plan for teachers operating within this framework, underscoring the importance of supporting educators to ensure both their well-being and the quality of education provided.
Musah’s call comes in response to recent statements by the Minister of Education, Dr. Osei Yaw Adutwum, who cautioned against the immediate abolition of the double-track system, citing potential negative effects on students’ educational prospects.
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum’s warning was directed at the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), which has pledged to abolish the green and gold track system if it wins the December 7, 2024, general elections.
“Some people come here to say that we will [they] abolish double track, and I say to myself, they don’t know what they are talking about.
If you abolish the double track at Prempeh College today, they will not be able to enrol one student. Presec will not take in one student. If you don’t want double track and you cancel double track, 1,500 students who are going this year will not have space, so they can’t go.
Do we cancel it in the name of politics and push 1,500 students away from Opoku Ware? It’s our choice, but that choice is disastrous,” he said at a presentation on the State of Ghana’s Education to the clergy in the Ashanti Region
