The Technical Adviser to the Ministry of Education, Professor George K. T. Oduro, has called for stronger collaboration between the Ghana Education Service (GES) and teacher unions, particularly the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), to sustain teacher motivation and enhance quality teaching and learning in Ghana’s schools.
He made the call when delivering the keynote address at the 7th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of GNAT under the theme “Education and Development: The GES @ 50 – Reflecting, Reviewing, Revising and Growing the Profession and the Unions.
Prof. Oduro said the conference theme was significant as it recognised the pivotal role of the GES in implementing educational policies and promoting teacher professionalism over the past five decades.
He described GNAT and GES as “inseparable partners in the national education journey”, noting that while GES provides the structural framework for policy execution, GNAT serves as the moral and professional conscience of the teaching community.
Prof. Oduro expressed concern over what he described as the “role-sidelining and micromanagement” of the GES by the Ministry of Education in recent years, referencing instances where the Ministry allegedly bypassed the GES in implementing key initiatives such as the National Standard Test, the GALOP teacher training programme, and appointments for newly established STEM schools.
Prof. Oduro also advocated for a return to a decentralized teacher recruitment model, arguing that district-level recruitment, with proper monitoring, would ensure efficiency, accountability, and equitable teacher distribution, especially in rural areas.
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Source: Anthony Sasu Ayisadu/ATLFMNEWS
