The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) is charging teachers to provide quality education to increase student enrolment.

The immediate past Deputy General Secretary in charge of Education and Professional Development, Gifty Apambil, believes student retention is essential for the profession's survival.

Speaking at a workshop at Abankro in the Kwabre East District of the Ashanti Region, she said the move will help recruit more teachers.

“Our raw materials as the teachers are the children we teach in the classrooms. Any factory that has no raw materials cannot continue to be in business.

"So I’m calling on us to embark on an enrollment drive in our schools to make sure we bring in more students in our schools and maintain them there until they complete.

“Let us provide quality education in our schools so that we can attract more students to give opportunities to teachers out there looking for jobs,” she said.

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

The programme was for teachers who were recruited within the last three years.

It is meant to train newly recruited teachers in numeracy, literacy and mentorship. It is also aimed at empowering the young teacher to be abreast of new methods of teaching.

This year’s edition, the fifth, was supposed to be held last year but was postponed due the covid-19 pandemic.

Ashanti Region, Eastern Region and Volta Region took part in this year’s event.

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

One hundred and sixty newly recruited teachers and headteachers drawn from 20 GNAT Districts in Ashanti Region attended the programme.

A participant, Kwaku Gyasi Fosu, a teacher at Mamponteng, believes the programme is essential for raising the standard of education in the country.

“I would like the teacher unions to extend it to their members so that they get the requisite skills to teach.

“This will help raise the standard of teaching and learning in the country,” he said with optimism.

Another participant, Jacqueline Barnie, a teacher at Aputuogya, is grateful the programme has equipped them with skills to mentor new entrant teachers.

“Sometimes, some of them come out of the colleges, and they are confused. We’ve acquired so many skills and ideas to mentor them properly,” she said.