Tain MP pledges his support for teachers at Tain/Banda District GNAT Delegates Conference

The Member of Parliament for Tain Constituency has pledged his support for the educational activities and teachers as a whole at his district.

The Former District Chief Executive under the erstwhile Mahama administration and a former tutor at Seikwa Nursing Training College, made this promise on Wednesday, at the Annual GNAT District delegates conference at the Tain/Banda District.

Though, Parliament resumed its setting on Tuesday, the Member of Parliament for Tain, Hon Adama Sulemana, decided to attend this Annual Delegates conference because he considered it to be as a medium to hear them and act on their concerns at the floor of Parliament when the opportunity is given him.

”I chose to attend this
programme because I am convinced that education is the backbone of economic” he said.

Kindly find his full address at the conference

Good Morning
Friends of the teaching profession, I was excited when I had your invitation to grace your annual delegate’s Conference.

As you might be aware, Parliament has resumed for the second sitting after our break. The resumption came a day before your delegate’s Conference.

Whilst the mandate given to me as a Member of Parliament demands that I get to the house to represent my constituents, the invitation on the other hand demands that I join my constituents on issues that border on an important sector of our
lives.

Upon, sober reflection, I concluded that it does not make sense to run to Accra to represent a group of people who needed you to hear them and whose views may be important in my Parliamentary work
in Accra.

Mr. Chairman, the above scenario represents the delicate balance of
the work of the Member of Parliament; needs of the constituents and representation in the House of Parliament. I chose to attend this
programme because I am convinced that education is the backbone of economic development and the teacher is at the centre of an effective educational enterprise.
In effect, I came to listen, deliberate and carry along your concerns to the state legislature for further advocacy and redress.

Mr Chairman, in the last couple of years, our educational sector has seen so many changes that call for a deep introspection and the role of the teacher in this endeavour cannot be underestimated. The role of GNAT in our attempt to restructure this all important sector is critical. It must however, be emphasised that our educational sector
is undergoing difficult spells. From the Basic, through secondary to
tertiary levels, the challenges are all very glaring. The roll out of the New Curriculum at the basic level has many shortfalls to the extent that the proposed orientation of the Teachers at the Junior High School level for their supposed new curriculum hasn’t happened even though the first batch of students that the proposed new curriculum is targeting are already in school. Even at the primary
level, we don’t have the full complement of textbooks to make the new curriculum workable. For the first time in our nationhood, textbooks for basic schools have been challenged to have statements
and imports of ethnic bigotry.

At the senior High School Level, the haphazardly implemented Free
Senior High School is having its toll on the quality of education at
that level. The lack of infrastructure commensurate with admissions has led to inconsistent time table for the different tracks leading to limited contact hours with students. This is further exacerbated by inconsistent releases of food items from the buffer stock company to feed the students.

The Tertiary level doesn’t portray any better story. From inconsistent releases of food grants to feed students at the Teacher Training
Colleges, through non-payment of students allowances to the potentially dangerous Universities bill, our highest level of education is in its own mess.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers with strength of over 200,000 has played an enormous role in our educational evolvement since independence. If there ever is a time that the expertise and the
skills set of GNAT is really needed to bring back our enviable
credentials in education back that time is now.

I must mention that GNAT has been vociferous in our educational landscape since independence. They have offered their expertise in
reforming any aspect of our education that needed changes to
reflect current trends. That expertize is needed now with the many changes on going at various levels of our education. The recent silence on the part of GNAT is becoming deafening and the country needs its largest teacher union to hold its government accountable
for its choices.

It is imperative to state that this inertia on the part of the various trade unions including GNAT does not only affect the quality of services from government and its organs and agencies but it also
affect the welfare of its members. The results of this is that for the first time in a long time, we are almost in the middle of the year, but public sector workers including teachers do not have any assurances of salaries commensurate with current living conditions.

As a Member of Parliament for Tain, I have visited almost all the Senior High Schools in the Constituency, interacted with the District Director of Education on ways my office could support to improve on the educational output of the district. I want to assure you that I will
do my best as your Member of Parliament based on the resource
envelope available to me to make the educational enterprise
comfortable for students and staff.
On the occasion of your Annual Delegate’s Conference, I wish you the best of deliberations on better ways to manage education in our
district, and wish all aspirants for various positions the best of luck.

Thank you for your invitation and May God bless Tain and bless our
homeland Ghana.