Officials from the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) have announced at a recent conference that over 33,000 of the nation’s teachers have left the profession in recent years. Discouraged by low salaries, large class sizes, and poor infrastructure, rural community schools have been most affected.
GNAT’s General Secretary, Irene Duncan-Adanusa, told the assembly that teachers often deal with a lack of electricity and potable water in their schools. Additionally, delayed promotions and insufficient motivation from managers cause many educators to become disillusioned with the profession as a whole.
Other speakers at the conference addressed the problem of teacher absenteeism. In rural areas especially, Ghana’s teachers either choose or are forced to miss work due to illness, a difficult commute, a lack of supervision, or having to supplement their income with a second job, such as farming.
Benjamin Kobina Osei, a GNAT salaries official, added that often teachers become overwhelmed by large class sizes. The Ghanaian government’s attempt to reach the Millennium Development Goal of free, universal basic education has happily resulted in increased school enrollments. However, he noted, school infrastructure and supplies of teaching materials have not kept up with the increase. The high teacher attrition rate has put an even greater strain on the system.
To address the problem, many speakers called for better working conditions for teachers, more teacher training, and additional incentives for teachers posted in rural areas.
Ms. Duncan-Adanusa also stressed the need for a separation of national education policies from day-to-day politics and the whims of politicians, “so that the nation can enhance its chances of finding the most suitable solutions to its educational challenges.”
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Written by Carla Drumhiller Smith