The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has expressed apprehension about some decisions of the government which could hamper the implementation of the new educational reforms.

Some of their concerns are the failure of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports to waive the cost of training teachers pursuing Diploma in Basic Education programmes, the delay in naming a new Education Minister and the unexplained departure of Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum as Public Reforms Minister.

The Deputy General Secretary of GNAT, Mr John Nyoagbe, noted that with barely one month for the beginning of the new educational reforms, there was no substantive Minister of Education.

"Certain critical steps need to be taken now such as orientation of teachers, production and distribution of syllabi, planning for admissions for the first batch of Senior High School students, textbook development among other things," he said and indicated that the absence of a Minister was hampering those efforts.

He was addressing 198 teachers attending a one-week in-service training jointly organised by GNAT and its Canadian counterpart at Asokore-Koforidua on Friday.

Paapa Owusu Ankomah, who until recently was at the helm of the Ministry, has resigned to enable him contest to become the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party in the 2008 elections.

He said that while GNAT did not have any qualms with his resignation, it urged the Government "to act with dispatch to appoint a substantive Minister to pilot the process."

The GNAT Deputy Secretary General also expressed concern about the resignation of Dr Nduom and expressed the hope that "the strange circumstances," under which he resigned, would not affect the deadlines set and the outcome of the job evaluation exercise of the Ministry.

Mr Nyoagbe said the Association had "serious concerns" about the fate of teachers with less than ten years to retire who may not be eligible to benefit from the proposed three-tier pension scheme outlined by the Government.

He called on the Ghana Education Service, the Ministry of Finance and the Controller and Accountant-General's Department to institute a scheme whereby newly trained teachers would be upgraded to their actual salaries not more than two months after the final results had been determined.

Such a positive development, he explained, would forestall the situation of making new entrants in the GES to wait sometimes for 18 or more months before they were put on the payroll.

Mr Nyaogbe expressed displeasure about the failure of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports to offset the bills of teachers enrolled in the Diploma in Basic Education programme despite numerous assurances to that effect

The Eastern Regional Director of Education, Mrs Akosua Adu, said the reforms had come to stay and urged teachers to strive to make it succeed.

She commended the members of the Canadian Teachers Federation (CTF) who participated in the programme for their foresight in sharing their knowledge with their Ghanaian counterparts.

Madam Prisca Ninewienah, one of the Canadian participants expressed the willingness of her Association to assist in the retraining of Ghanaian teachers.

Madam Ninewienah later presented certificates to the participants including heads of second cycle institutions who were exposed to new developments in English, Science and mathematics education.

Source: GNA