The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) is urging political parties to move beyond mere promises and prioritize the welfare of teachers in their education policies.

NAGRAT asserts that successive governments have often prioritized student benefits at the expense of teachers, resulting in demotivation and challenging working conditions. Key concerns raised include the lack of accommodation for teachers in rural areas, delays in allowance payments, and inadequate teaching and learning facilities.

Atindana Baba Joseph, NAGRAT’s Ashanti Regional Secretary, voiced frustration over the persistent neglect of teachers in education policies, which are often student-centered.

The Association believes that teachers should be the central focus of educational reforms, calling for enhanced welfare packages, better housing policies, and improved teaching facilities.

While NAGRAT does not advocate for the cancellation of the Free SHS policy, they emphasize the need for improvements, stating, “What frustrates us is that political parties always focus on benefiting students, ignoring the ones who are responsible for implementing these policies.”

“For example, we were given TM1, laptops, that the memory gig is just 2.5, whereas those for the students, the memory gig is higher.”

“So, what we are saying, we have heard both parties, we have heard both parties and what they said, but what we are saying is that make the teacher the pivotal element in promoting and enhancing education.

“Our land and housing policy, we want to see it up. Any other facility that will enhance the teacher, we want the curricula, we want it to be fastened. The Free SHS, we want it at least to be improved.”

“We are not interested in their new definition of improved mean cancellation; we are not interested in that. We are born to teach, whoever comes to power, we will teach. However, if you come and enhance our welfare, the package, that makes us more interested in the teaching and every teacher motivated will teach you to the best of his ability and the vice versa is true.”

Registrar of the National Teaching Council, Dr. Christian Addai-Poku speaking during the launch of NAGRAT’s 25th Anniversary Celebrations in Kumasi defended the introduction of the Teacher Licensure Examination.

He called on politicians to engage with technocrats for a better understanding of such educational policies.