The Western Regional Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) of Ghana has held its 12thQuadrennial delegates conference at Fijai in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality (EKMA) on the theme: ‘60 Years of TEWU’s Contribution to the Development of Equitable, Inclusive and Quality Education Delivery in Ghana’.
Delivering the key address, the Municipal Education Director for EKMA, Ms Sally Nelly Coleman, said the services of the non-teaching staff must not be disregarded because they complement the work of teachers in the development of students.
She urged all TEWU members to rally behind the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service and the government to give meaning to human capital development in Ghana.
Ms Coleman stated that education reduced inequalities, could break the cycle of poverty, foster tolerance, reach gender equality and empower people to live more healthy lives and attain more productive livelihoods adding that, “Education is both a goal in itself and a means for attaining all the other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
She noted that the quality of education would be hampered if non-teaching staff were not recognised, adding that, they formed an integral part of the educational system and their services were indispensable in the quest to deliver quality education.
Achieving quality education, she said, required intensified efforts of the accountants, matrons, administrators, store keepers and the security personnel, because their individual roles were vital in the educational system.
The Municipal Director told TEWU members that they deserved every attention by the government and other development partners to deliver quality services.
The General Secretary of TEWU, Mr Mark Korankye, said TEWU had played and continued to play a vital role in the development of education in Ghana.
He bemoaned the manner in which some promotions were given to people who went for the same course and came back, with the Ghana Education Service (GES) promoting those in the teaching field and leaving out the other staff.
Mr Korankye appealed to the GES and the government to restore the allowances of the security personnel which were withdrawn without any reason.
He commended the government for introducing the double- track system but said some TEWU members were under stress because of the system.
The Regional chairman of TEWU, Mr Robert Zanutey, said while the teachers engaged the students in the classroom, some TEWU members were responsible for the safety, cleanliness and feeding of the rest of the institute.
He said fighting for individual gains would not achieve the goals of the union and called for unity among the membership.
FROM PETER GBAMBILA, FIJAI
