The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Michel Camp Local has elected new executives at the 2025 Local Conference.

As part of the Constitution of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), new executives are to be elected after serving a term (2 years).

Based on this constitutional binding, GNAT Michel Camp Local in the Greater Accra Region held their 2025 Local Conference to elect new executives to champion the affairs of the Local for another two (2) years.

At the conference held on the 14th of March 2025, at Michel Camp in the Kpone Katamansu Municipality in Accra, new executives were elected through the ballot method of voting. Notably, Adolf Dameh Akafo emerged victoriously as the Chairman to lead the affairs of GNAT Michel Camp Local for the next two (2) years.

List of new Executives for GNAT Michel Camp Local

1. Adolf Dameh Akafo – Chairman              
2. Christiana Agbolosu – Vice Chair                
3. Jonas  Tenkorang – Secretary                     
4. Stephen Wegbey – Assistant Secretary       
5. Rahmat Afua Arhin – Treasurer                
6. Patrick Boahene – Basic School Coordinator
7. Lydia Gyami – GNATLAS  Coordinator   
8. Diana Arkorful – Youth Coordinator

Dignitaries present at the Local Conference were the Tema Metro GNAT Executives led by the Metro Chairman, Mr. Abednego Nuertey.

Present at the conference was an astute educationalist/columnist, Wisdom Koudjo Klu. He spoke on the theme “Learning for a Sustainable Future: Attracting and Retaining Teachers for Quality Education and Union Participation.” Below are a few highlights from his speech.

Challenges in Attracting and Retaining Teachers

Throughout my (Wisdom Koudjo Klu) journey in education and advocacy, I’ve witnessed the systemic issues that drive many teachers away from their profession. These include low pay, insufficient opportunities for professional development, poor working conditions, and a lack of recognition for the vital contributions teachers make.

Many enthusiastic individuals enter teaching but become disenchanted over time due to unclear career advancement routes and minimal institutional support.

As Henry Adams insightfully noted, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” Yet, how can we expect teachers to carry such a heavy responsibility when they lack the necessary support and resources?

A major concern is teacher turnover, with qualified educators choosing to leave the profession or look for roles outside of teaching due to dissatisfaction. When experienced teachers depart, it disrupts the continuity of learning and adversely impacts student outcomes. Moreover, the struggle to attract fresh, enthusiastic teachers leads to an aging workforce, teacher shortages, and declining instructional quality. Thus arises the question: how can we enhance the appeal and sustainability of the teaching profession?

Strategies for Retention and Quality Education

1. Creating a Supportive Work Environment

From my experience in various schools, I have observed that teachers who feel supported, respected, and valued are more likely to remain committed to their roles. A collaborative environment that fosters mentorship and emotional well-being significantly boosts teacher satisfaction and productivity.

On the above premise, school leaders must prioritize teacher well-being by ensuring manageable workloads, providing access to mental health resources, and cultivating a culture of appreciation. Leadership in schools, it is vital for us to establish a welcoming atmosphere where our teachers feel safe, heard, and motivated. When teachers encounter indifferent or unsupportive leadership, their enthusiasm tends to wane.

As John Dewey aptly stated, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” For teachers to see teaching as a lifelong commitment, their work environment must nurture growth, creativity, and a sense of purpose.

2. Investing in Professional Growth

Career advancement opportunities are vital in retaining teachers. Many educators leave not out of disdain for teaching but because they perceive a lack of growth potential.

Access to regular, high-quality professional development is essential for teachers to refine their skills and stay current with Modern teaching methodologies. Furthermore, structured paths for career progression that offer opportunities for specialization, leadership roles, and contributions to policy development are necessary.

Educational institutions should promote teacher-led research, peer learning, and innovative pedagogical practices, creating an atmosphere where teachers feel intellectually engaged and empowered.

Horace Mann once remarked, “A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron.” With this in mind, how can teachers inspire their students when they are lacking motivation due to stagnant career prospects? Investing in teachers’ professional development will ensure that, they remain enthusiastic, innovative, and effective in their roles.

3. Strengthening Union Participation

Teacher unions are essential. They advocate for improved working conditions, fair compensation, and policy enhancements. However, many teachers either do not engage in union activities or feel disconnected from them, diminishing their collective bargaining power and leaving them vulnerable to unfavourable policies.

Teachers should be encouraged to participate actively in union affairs, not just during salary negotiations but also in broader discussions about educational policy.
Unions, for their part, must strive to be proactive and responsive to their members’ needs, addressing issues beyond salary, including professional growth, teacher welfare, and job security.

As an indisputable fact, a strong, organized teacher union amplifies the voices of educators in decision-making processes, resulting in policies that foster long-term retention and job satisfaction.

As Malala Yousafzai reminds us, “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.” By empowering teachers through active union engagement, we enable them to advocate for meaningful changes that can transform education.

CONCLUSION

To create a sustainable future for education, we must prioritize valuing and supporting our teachers. Governments must implement teacher-friendly policies, ensure competitive salaries, and invest in ongoing professional development. School leaders must cultivate environments that empower, respect, and motivate teachers.

To my fellow educators, let us commit to lifelong learning, engage actively in union discussions, and advocate for the changes we wish to see. When teachers succeed, students flourish, and society benefits as a whole.

The future of education hinges on the choices we make today. By attracting and retaining passionate, well-supported teachers, we can enhance educational quality and secure a brighter, more sustainable future for generations to come.

The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Tanko Musah, has called on the government to honour its promises to teacher unions.

Speaking on Joy FM's Midday News on Monday, August 19, Mr. Musah stressed that the government had promised affordable housing for teachers in 2022, yet two years later, the promise remains unfulfilled, yet the promise has been made anew.
According to him, the government needs to revisit this commitment and not make new ones.
"We’ve been here before and I think that we cannot easily progress without looking at what had happened in history. Two years back, we engaged the government and they promised us that they were going to ensure that we get affordable housing.
"When you look at the budget statement, page 105 and paragraph 589 it is there that government will engage the teacher unions specifically NAGRAT to ensure that affordable housing is put in place .. so this is a nice opportunity to give a reminder,” he said.
Mr. Musah also urged the government to expedite action on other promises, such as promoting teachers from the rank of Deputy Director to Director 2 and 1, addressing issues faced by teachers in deprived areas, and delivering on the "laptop per teacher" initiative.
His comments come in response to a recent pledge by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who during the unveiling of the party’s 2024 electioneering campaign manifesto, promised to offer incentives for teachers to purchase vehicles with engine capacities of up to 1,800CC.
While Mr. Musah acknowledged the importance of this initiative—noting that teachers had benefited from similar incentives in the past—he stressed the need for the government to fulfill previous promises before making new ones.
"...But as I said, the other ones they have promised and haven’t been delivered, we are asking of it and we want them to speak to those issues for us.”

Additionally, Mr. Musah called for the establishment of a pre-education funding act to ensure sustained financing for public education, pointing out that basic education in Ghana is currently facing significant challenges.

The leadership of the Pre-Tertiary Teacher Unions have called for calm among teachers who are apprehensive over their appointments being revoked.

Their anxiety stems from a circular issued by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to heads of schools to ensure that the appointments of teachers who were recruited after December 7 are terminated.

In an exclusive interview with 3news on February 19, General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Tanko Musah appealed to the anxious teachers to be calm.

We need to give the employer the benefit of hindsight. To the extent that we have an assurance of engagement for us to find out how we can resolve, together let us work to resolve all the issues. If there are other things, we are not able to resolve we meet our members and decide on the next line of action.

“So, to the extent that dialogue has not broken down and the employer has shown commitment that look, let us work together to resolve the problem” he noted.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has cautioned that if urgent steps are not taken to curb the rising incidents of violent altercations among senior high school students, authorities may be compelled to establish military barracks within school premises.

This warning follows recent clashes between students, some of whom wielded deadly weapons such as cutlasses and locally manufactured pistols.

The incidents have reignited concerns about discipline and character development within the country’s educational institutions.

Speaking to Citi News, GNAT General Secretary, Thomas Tanko Musah expressed deep concern over the growing indiscipline among students, attributing it to a broader breakdown of respect at the national level.

He criticised the lack of accountability for students involved in violent and criminal activities, warning that their unchecked actions could further erode discipline in schools.

“If care is not taken in the coming days like I have said, we may have to establish military barracks on our campuses so that they will help to maintain law and order.

“That is where we are heading towards. We may need to employ more military men since the students are now coming with weapons, we might need to employ the military people so that we create military barracks on all the campuses so that when the students pull out their weapons, the soldiers will also pull their weapons, then they will square it up there.”

Source : Elizabeth Kabukie Ocansey

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has expressed readiness to effectively partake in the National  Education Forum, to highlight funding shortfalls within the  educational system of the country.

This comes after President John Dramani Mahama established an eight-member committee to oversee the organisation of the National Education reform, to publicly dialogue on ways to improve on the educational sector in the country.

In an interview on the Channel One Newsroom, General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Tanko Musah raised concerns regarding debts owed the West African Examination Council (WAEC), the challenge of financing the School Feeding programme for basic schools across the country and the capitation grant which lies in arrears.

He further lamented the growing concern of student indiscipline witnessed recently in some Senior High Schools and called for reforms in the disciplinary system.

“The major problem facing us is funding. All the problems we are going to discuss, it is about where to get money, pay for them. And like I always say, capitation grant is in arrears for over two years. We are owing WAEC for over GH¢100 million. The school feeding, we are owing. How can we feed students GH¢1.30 a day?

“We will go there and bring to their attention that currently as a people, we have lost the effective aspect of training our children which has to do with character and conscience. And we will run into danger when we train children with knowledge and they don’t have character.

“We must revisit the issue where we have disabled the headmasters and everything, otherwise we will be in trouble in the coming years.”

Source :   Sarah Appiah

The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Tanko Musah, has voiced concerns over inadequate compensation and insufficient rest periods for teachers working under the double-track school system.

Musah’s comments come 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. Adutwum’s warning was directed at the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which has pledged to abolish the system if it wins the December 7 general elections.

In an interview with Citi News, Musah emphasized the critical need for sufficient rest for teachers, highlighting the strain the double-track system has placed on them.

He 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.

“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 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.”