A new initiative aimed at giving Ghanaian teachers professional rest and international exposure is gaining attention, as organisers appeal for public and institutional support to help educators participate in a discounted study and relaxation trip to Dubai.

The project is being spearheaded by Enoch Mensah, Director of GIM School and Educational Consultancy, who says the idea was born out of nearly two decades of working closely with teachers across the country.

“I have met teachers who give everything — their time, their energy, their finances — to support children,” he said. “I have always wished to do something more for them.”

The initiative follows the success of a similar trip organised last year in partnership with Dubai-based Magma Tourism, which took 150 nurses on a five-day professional retreat. According to organisers, the programme left participants motivated and professionally renewed.

Building on that experience, the organisers negotiated a heavily discounted package for teachers, valued at about GH¢21,000 on the open market but reduced to $17,500. The package covers return airfare, visa processing, accommodation, meals, airport transfers, and premium experiences such as a yacht dinner and desert safari in Dubai.

However, despite the subsidy, affordability remains a major challenge.

In interviews, several teachers said financial pressures make such opportunities difficult to access.

“We always wish we could also travel and experience educational trips like other professionals,” one teacher with over 20 years of service said. “But with our salaries and family responsibilities, it is difficult.”

Another added: “After decades in the classroom, you hope to reward yourself, but the means are not there.”

Some support has begun to emerge from within the profession.

District branches of the Ghana National Association of Teachers in areas such as Tema, Madina, Adenta and Abokobi have opened access to teachers’ welfare funds to assist interested members. Organisers say this has led to a steady rise in registrations.

Interest has also been recorded from teachers in North Tongu, Ashanti, Eastern, Western, Cape Coast and Tarkwa, although many have only been able to make partial payments.

As a result, organisers are appealing to public officials, corporate bodies and individuals for sponsorship support. They have specifically called on Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Gabriel Kwamiga Atokple Tanko, alongside business leaders and alumni groups, to consider sponsoring teachers from their communities.

“You can sponsor a teacher from your constituency, your former school or your district,” Mr Mensah said. “When you invest in a teacher’s renewal, you invest in better learning outcomes for children.”

Organisers say GIM School has trained more than 30,000 teachers nationwide through capacity-building programmes, giving participants confidence in the credibility of the project.

Beyond the trip itself, the initiative has reignited debate about the welfare and recognition of teachers in Ghana. Many educators work under challenging conditions, often using personal resources to support students, yet rarely enjoy opportunities for professional leisure and exposure.

For Mr Mensah, the project is about restoring dignity to the profession.

“Every professional has passed through the hands of a teacher,” he said. “Teachers deserve the same opportunities for exposure, relaxation and recognition. When they return, they will come back refreshed and even more committed to their students.”

For many teachers, organisers stress, the proposed Dubai trip is not about luxury, but about acknowledgement — a national gesture that recognises their role as the quiet architects of Ghana’s development.