GNAT organises training for 480 members

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), has organised a five-day mentoring and professional development training for 480 of its members from the Brong Ahafo, Upper East and Upper West regions in Kumasi.

The workshop, which was attended in three batches of 160 teachers per group, was organised by GNAT, in collaboration with the Canadian Teachers Federation (CTF), as part of activities marking the 56th in-service training and development initiative between the two institutions.

It brought together education development experts from CTF and GNAT who took the participants through various lessons so they would be abreast of the new ways of teaching, especially at the early grade levels of education.

Commendation

Addressing the participants at the closing ceremony, the National President of GNAT, Madam Philippa Larsen, was full of praise for the Canadian Government and the CTF for their fruitful and effective collaboration with GNAT over the past years, leading to the professional development of teachers in Ghana.

She reminded teachers to position themselves well for the fast-changing trends in the educational sector in the country and the rest of the world by learning and adopting modern methods of teaching, as well as other developments in their areas of speciality.

GNAT’s interest

Madam Larsen said GNAT took keen interest in the professional development of its members hence the creation of the education and professional development division as a national sub-committee to enhance the proper and continuous training and development of its members towards the development of education.

The Leader of the Canadian Teachers Federation (CTF), Mr Lawrence Hunter, commended GNAT for its role in the training programme and for its moves to improve the teaching skills of teachers

He urged the participants to make good use of the knowledge they had acquired and also extend same to other teachers who were not able to benefit from the training.

Corporal punishment

The Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mrs Mary Owusu Achaw, cautioned teachers to desist from the use of corporal punishment and rather use other forms of punishment in their schools quoting the United Nation’s Convention on the Right of Children and of the Child  and the Children’s Act  1998 (Act 560) which debars the use of corporal punishment.

The regional director also warned teachers to desist from engaging in amorous relationships with the students and pupils entrusted in their care since it was an embarrassment to the profession and also a criminal act,  adding that the Ghana Education Service(GES) would not shield any teacher who indulged in such a despicable act.