Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) is reminding the government to establish crèche facilities in schools to serve young nursing mothers.

The immediate past Deputy General Secretary in charge of Education and Professional Development, Gifty Apambil says the move will afford the mothers full concentration during class hours.

Speaking at a workshop at Abankro in the Kwabre East District of the Ashanti Region she says such crèche can serve other busy people in the community.

“They should make it a reality as part of the condition of service which says that at every cluster of schools, there should be a crèche established to serve the young teachers who are nursing mothers, so they can have ample time to take care of the classes.

“This will also serve young mothers in our communities who are craving to participate in the economic activities of our country.

“It’s part of our collective agreement. It has been signed. They only have to practicalise it,” she emphasized.

GNAT is collaborating with Canadian Teachers Federation (CTF/FCE) to organise workshops for Teachers and Headteachers nationwide. 

It is aimed at training newly recruited teachers in literacy, numeracy, and mentorship. The young teachers will also be empowered in new teaching methods.

GNAT village at Abankro served as a venue for participants from the Volta Region.

One hundred and fifty-four newly recruited teachers and headteachers from the Volta region attended the programme.

Mrs Apambil appealed to the teachers to create a conducive environment for the students.

“Every child in this country is a potential resource for this nation and we should not lose any of them.

“We should make our school environment attractive to both girls and boys.

“How do we cater for the different categories of children who are brought to us to teach? Every child is a unique person and we’ll need varied pedagogical skills in our teaching so we can attract them to sit and learn,” she urged.

The Manager of GNAT Resource Centre, Ernest Asamoah urged teachers to serve as good mentors for their students.

“When we exhibit good character, obviously they’ll pick up from there. Let’s go out there and show the teaching profession is a good one,” he said.