Mr Chairman,
National, Regional and District Servants of GNAT,
The West Akim Municipal Director of Education,
Distinguished Delegates,
The Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It affords me a great privilege to be with you today. First of all, I’d like to congratulate leadership of the West Akim District GNAT for its ability to successfully organize this conference, and also to thank the organizers for the privilege and honour of inviting me to deliver the keynote address for today’s occasion.
Mr Chairman, the theme for today’s conference is “GNAT @ 90; Surviving as a Reliable and a Vibrant Teacher Union in the 21st Century: Tracing the Journey, Explicating the Essence and Staying the Cause.” Addressing this theme requires that it is situated within the national theme which is “GNAT @ 90; surviving as reliable and vibrant teacher union in the 21st Century.”
The key words in the national theme are “reliable” which the Encarta dictionary defines as “able to be trusted to do what is expected or has been promised” and “vibrant” defined as being “energetic: full of liveliness or energy”.
Mr Chairman, what does it mean for GNAT to be reliable and vibrant? The answers should be found as we trace the journey of GNAT, explicate her essence in order to justify the need for her continued existence to champion the cause of teachers. Indeed, it must be stated that there are several ways of addressing the theme, so do permit me, ladies and gentlemen to construct a marriage between academic and pedestrian perspectives in order to satisfy the unique demographics and interests of this august gathering.
What I’ll do in essence, is to trace the history of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), to its birth, characterize her in contemporary times and propose ways for her to navigate the industrial seas for the next century.
GNAT in History
Mr Chairman, GNAT is 90. Hurray! So, when was she born? What were the circumstances characterizing her birth? Beyond these, we would also be interested in her development and her aspirations; her strengths and successes; her threats and failures as well as her opportunities and prospects.
Mr Chairman, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) traces her history to 1931 when representatives of Assisted Schools Teachers (ASTU) petitioned the government against a proposed 29% salary cut. The ASTU later became the Gold Cost Teachers Union (GCTU) in 1937, and then in 1962 it became the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT).
GNAT Today
Mr Chairman, the essence of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) today, cannot be over stated. A quick analysis of the association would reveal that the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) is an association of teachers with a numerical strength in excess of two hundred thousand. It has physical structures and subsidiaries worth so much.
The GNAT has well laid out organizational structure and engenders organic solidarity among members and serves as a vehicle through which the voice of teachers is heard on issues of common interest to them. GNAT also participates fully in policy dialogue and formulation and contributes materially towards building the capacities of its members on key professional development issues. It is also concerned with the economic and welfare needs of its members, with the Teachers Fund remains an enviable economic creation that enables members keep their heads above water.
However, Mr Chairman, the association has some key challenges that can be characterized as Internal and External. In terms of external challenges, the enactment of certain national policies such as the Labour Act (2003) which provides for the pluralism of unions and the attendant formation of rival teach unions such as the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-GH) and the resultant competition among the unions, as well as the contemporary world order can be cited.
The association also has some internal challenges which include power play between the administrative structure of the association and the political structure, with each seeking to hold sway over the other.
Mr Chairman, another critical factor to its existence is the issue of professionalism. Lessons in education reveal that there are certain conditions that qualify an occupation to be referred to as a profession. These include, but not limited to: practice that is based on specialized and theoretical knowledge; being regulated by law and accountability of its members.
GNAT Beyond 90!
This 90th Anniversary celebration offers us an opportunity, not only to celebrate but to do an introspection of ourselves and to chart a path for the association for the next century. If the Ghana National Association of Teachers must survive as a reliable teachers’ union, a critical question to be asked is “what kind of survival she want – survival by chance or survival by design? Mr Chairman, if survival by design is the option of choice, then the next question is “what kind of survival design should be adopted?” I would leave you to ponder over this.
Being Vibrant and Relevant!
Mr Chairman, to remain relevant and vibrant in the next century, a lot of work needs to be done. I dare say that being relevant requires ACTION in leadership!
A- C-T-I-O-N:
A – Accountability: A major concern of most members is accountability. Account to the people.
C – Communication. Communication is the lifeblood of every organization. We have accepted a very long time ago that communication and information dissemination within association leaves much to be desired, yet each time we fail to make conscious efforts at improving communication and information management. Nothing beats communication. The communication system of the association must begin to work now.
T – Transparency. Open the door. Illuminate the room to build confidence.
I – Innovation. Innovate or die!
O – Overhaul the organogram. Reorder the organization’s behaviour
N – Network the organization’s system and structures.
Mr Chairman, Covid-19 has taught all of us lots lessons about physical distancing and the use of technology and artificial intelligence to facilitate learning instruction. The association needs to leverage on technology to make it more attractive to the changing demographics of membership (youthful, ageing, females, trendy, traditional, etc).
There is also the need to take urgent steps to destroy the creeping monster of partisan politics into the association. By all means, the association must continue to collaborate with governments but its neutrality must never be compromised. This must be seen in the calibre of leaders chosen at the various levels of the association. Who are they? Are they mainstream politicians with known allegiance to certain political parties? Well!
Mr Chairman, since the introduction of the new curriculum, teachers have been demanding for textbooks to be used to facilitate teaching. To fill the void, some people put into the system unapproved books that attracted a lot of backlash. The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has a Book Development programme. Is it not yet time to take this programme a notch higher by helping many members with the flair for writing to develop and acquire writing skills? This when done should help members generate supplementary income, now that Covid-19 has shut the door on the traditional ways of generating extra income.
Mr Chairman, how about collaborating with the Ghana Tech Lab, for instance to train members, especially the GNAT Youth in ICT and entrepreneurship? How about making it mandatory for all Districts to have Teachers’ Welfare Buses Districts? How about mandatory annual health screening for members across the country?
What about Professional Development – Aptitude Test? How do we help reduce the fail rate? How about the Ghana Teacher Journal? Can’t we reorganize it around solid structures with editorial committees across the regions?
Mr Chairman, how about the Youth Desk? How do we continue to sustain the interest of the youth in the association and also groom them for the next century? GNATLAS! Can’t the GNATLAS do more than it is doing currently?
How do we nourish the roots (the locals) of this association to be able to take care of the stem and the branches? How do we adapt and evolve to respond to the changing dynamics of the time?
Mr Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, above all, the need for professionalism of teachers in the 21st century cannot be overemphasized. There are lots of work to do to keep this association alive for the next century.
We are all involved, for the union is our heritage!
Thank you for your attention.
PS: This is a keynote address I delivered at the 6th Quadrennial (53rd) Delegates Conference of the West Akim District GNAT.