Today, October 5, 2016, is exactly five decades since the Special Intergovernmental Conference on the Status of Teachers held in Paris adopted the Recommendations Concerning the Status of Teachers.
Empowered by the belief that: “education from the earliest school years should be directed to the all-round development of the human personality and to the spiritual, moral, social, cultural and economic progress of the community; recognition that improvement in education depends largely on the qualifications and ability of the teaching staff in general and on the human, pedagogical and technical qualities of the individual teachers; the need for teaching to be regarded as a profession; and working conditions for teachers to be one that will best promote effective learning and enable teachers to concentrate on their professional tasks” the conference made cogent submissions on how to improve education delivery around the world.
The recommendations touched on issues such as educational objectives and policies, preparation for the profession; further education for teachers; employment and career; rights and responsibilities of teachers; conditions for effective teaching and learning, teachers’ salaries; social security and teacher shortage among others.
The forum was quite clear in their minds of states’ responsibility to provide proper education for all in fulfillment of provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the Declaration of the Rights of the Child; and of the United Nations Declaration concerning the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect and Understanding between Peoples.
World Teachers Day (WTD) Celebrations
In 1994, UNESCO (United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization) established October 5 as World Teachers Day with celebrations held annually since then. WTD celebrates teaching and promotes international standards for the profession. Education International (EI) which is the international umbrella body of teacher organizations (and its 348 member organizations) champion the spread and recognition of World Teachers Day in their various countries.
In Ghana, teachers and educational workers who have distinguished themselves in the discharge of their duties are honoured under the “Best Teacher Awards” scheme. The awards climax a process of identification, selection and assessment of hardworking teachers at various stages. A National Best Teacher is presented with a prize on October 5. However, following agitations from teachers and major stakeholders in education regarding the model of the scheme it was modified in 2015 to include awards for best performing schools. This year, the national celebrations was held in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo region.
Vexed Issues
A lot of issues have attracted the attention of stakeholders in education in recent time. Particularly this year, teacher professionalism and quality education, posting of newly trained teachers, inadequate school logistics, validation and payment of arrears to teachers have dominated the news. Early resolution of these issues will enhance improvement in overall education delivery at the pre-tertiary level:
Teacher Professionalism & Quality Education
The question “whether or not teaching is a profession” has always persisted. To promote professionalism, the Education Act, 2008 (Act 778) provides for the establishment of a body known as the National Teaching Council with the mandate to, among other things: “recommend to the Minister [of Education] professional standards required for the registration of teachers; to register teachers after they have satisfied the appropriate conditions for initial licensing and issue the appropriate license; to revoke a teacher’s license to teach after establishing a case of grave professional misconduct”.
But ironically, rather than being excited about this move towards making teaching truly professional, some teachers are apprehensive about it. They have fears situated in some weird assumptions that the Ghana Education Service will use this provision to victimize teachers.
While agitating for higher remuneration and better conditions of service, most teachers today are not prepared to give off their best towards the attainment of quality education; they rather want to be pampered and cajoled. They want management of the various district/municipal GES Directorates to turn a blind eye to their failings and to promote and task them with bigger responsibility without rigorous scrutiny.
Launching this year’s World Teachers Day celebration under the theme “Valuing Teachers, Improving their Status” the Ghana National Association of Teachers has called on teachers to be professional. This call, from the mother of all teacher unions in Ghana couldn’t have come at a better time. A high sense of professionalism is required to achieve the SDGs on education (viz: ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all). Teachers cannot go about teaching as usual; there’s the need for a paradigm shift. Only properly qualified teachers should be placed in management at the various schools. The usual promotion process (writing to schools for teachers to apply; applicants reading an Interview Guide haphazardly and scraping through) must be modified. Beyond temporal or academic qualifications, prospective head teachers must demonstrate high creative and innovative skills at the interview to be selected.
Withdrawal of Teacher Trainee Allowances
The anger following government’s withdrawal of the allowances still persists with the opposition NPP taking promising to restore it when voted into power. The point that students of colleges of education are a peculiar set of students with unique rules of engagement and needs still stands. Whereas students in the universities and other institutions look for employment of their own choice on completion of their courses of studies, teacher trainees are bonded and posted to teach in places over which they have no control for a certain number of years whether they like it or not.
Teacher Trainee allowances must be restored!
Validation and Payment of Salary Arrears
The policy on the payment of only three months’ salary arrears has incurred the displeasure of a lot of teachers. Many teachers have suffered unjustly as a result of this policy. But, could the situation have been better when some unscrupulous persons have made it their business to forge certificates for individuals to use to cheat the system, drawing huge chunks of money for little or no work done?
To achieve Nelson Mandela’s assertion that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” a lot definitely must change; only best practices (not mediocrity) must be celebrated on World Teachers Day. Besides taking advantage of the WTD to advocate for better conditions of service for teachers, union leaders must also be bold enough to lead the charge for professionalism in the education service. A lot needs to be done in valuing teachers and improving their status.