Change the new teacher-stressing academic calendar – GNAT to GES

The leadership of GNAT has called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to shelve the just-released calendar since it does not consider the health needs of teachers in the country. It has further requested that changes should be made to it.

During an interview with Joy Prime’s Prime Morning, Gideon Pappoe (Local Secretary for Kotobabi District) and William Yitah (The Chairman for Accra Metro West District of the Association) indicated that the teacher unions were not consulted before the changes.

According to the two leaders, teachers got the news on social media just as all Ghanaians. The released timetable coupled with the fact that while some learners are breaking others are returning to school means that teachers in second-cycle institutions have fewer rest days

The teachers have indicated that the current rest days for teachers are not adequate. Their concern is that it will cause a lot of stress and tiredness, thus reducing productivity in class.

Speaking to the host, Roselyn Felli, Mr. Pappoe said, “If you look at this calendar, the vacation is like ten or nine days. Was the strike the teachers had about the Director General legit? About him being a professional, an educationist or coming from another place. I believe a proper consultation should have been done because teachers are also stakeholders in education.”

“What goes on during vacation? Every good teacher sits down and does evaluations and analysis of each student. So at the end of the first term, I have to look at each student’s challenges and positives and know how to plan myself for the next term. Now, I have nine days to do that. You have a class of about 60 or 70, and you have nine days to do that. You also have to rest and spend time with the family. Are nine days enough? Are parents ready to take their kids back to school after nine days?” He quizzed.

He suggested that the previous 25 rest days, despite being less than a month, were a bit sufficient for the teachers.

He cautioned the GES not to appoint people who are not professional educators to lead the sector.

As to whether the new calendar will help improve the students’ academics, he said, “It will have an untold hardship on even the children themselves.”

He further revealed that the pressure from GES is having a ripple effect on teachers, as most of them are facing health challenges and even death.