So, Ghana is doing big things again.

At UPSA in Accra, the President stands before the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and announces an ambitious path: education spending is up by 10% in 2026, but still only 3.1% of GDP; below UNESCO’s minimum 4% benchmark; so the government will push spending upward over the next three years to meet the target. 

Fine. That is the policy talk.

But here is the awkward part: while we are budgeting our way toward international benchmarks, some people appear to have misplaced a far older Ghanaian standard; basic recognition of where you are standing.

Because if a national teachers’ conference is being held in Accra; on Ga land; and the proper traditional custodian is not formally acknowledged in a meaningful way, then GNAT has just taught the country a lesson it never intended to teach: that protocol is optional when it is inconvenient, and respect is negotiable when it is not trending.

And that is exactly how institutions lose moral authority; quietly, casually, with a smile and a microphone.

When GNAT wants “gravitas,” it remembers tradition; perfectly

In January 2022, at GNAT’s 6th quadrennial national delegates conference in Kumasi, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was invited to address teachers and government, urging dialogue over industrial action and calling for reforms that stimulate creativity and innovation. 

No issue there.

Kumasi is Kumasi. You invite Otumfuo, you honour him, you listen. That is not favouritism. That is context.

But in Accra, some people suddenly develop selective amnesia

Now fast-forward to the 7th quadrennial (54th) national delegates conference at UPSA in Accra; complete with top national figures in attendance and major announcements, including a GH¢500 million budget allocation to partner with GNAT on a teacher housing scheme. 

This is not a small gathering. This is a national stage.

So if the Ga Mantse; the traditional authority whose jurisdiction Accra falls under; was not appropriately recognised, then it is not “oversight.” It is a public statement, even if accidental: we can organise on your land and still pretend the land has no owners.

And teachers of all people should know this: when you ignore the foundation, the structure may stand, but it becomes dishonest.

Let us be clear: this is not an Ashanti–Ga issue. It is a GNAT judgment issue.

Nobody is saying the Asantehene should not be respected. Ghana has room for dignity across all stools and skins.

In fact, Ghana has seen public moments that reinforce that this is not about rivalry; such as the Asantehene’s historic visit to the Ga State, hosted by the Ga Mantse. 

So the problem is not who GNAT respects.

The problem is who GNAT forgets when the venue changes.

And that is where the charge of favouritism grows legs: when your respect looks complete in one region and incomplete in another, people stop reading it as “protocol” and start reading it as “preference.”

GNAT is a teacher; so it must practice what it preaches

GNAT cannot, on one hand, demand fairness in pensions, conditions of service, and safety for teachers; and on the other hand, preside over an event culture that treats local identity as background decoration. 

If GNAT truly understands “Education and Development,” then it should appreciate that national cohesion is not built only with budgets and policy statements. It is built with small, consistent acts of respect; especially at national gatherings.

Because when a union that teaches children cannot model courtesy to hosts, what exactly are we developing; apart from entitlement with a conference badge?

A simple fix (and a better lesson)

If the Ga traditional authority was not properly acknowledged at the Accra conference, GNAT should correct it publicly; cleanly, quickly, without excuses. Not because anyone is begging for praise, but because the country is watching, and teachers should lead by example.

UNESCO has a target for education financing. 

Accra has an older target: respect the ground before you mount the platform.

GNAT should be the first to know that.