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Teacher Group (PROTAYA) demands GNAT better utilise funds from dues

By Justice Kofi Bimpeh
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 Teacher group, Progressive Teachers and Youth Alliance (PROTAYA) is demanding umbrella body, Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) to stop belittling them with cheap, needless souvenirs and rather judiciously use accumulated funds from paid dues.

In a press statement issued on Monday, the group rendered there were superior items to be offered teachers to enhance teaching and learning rather than the outdated materials.
The Public Relations Officer of the group, Lord Ceasar in an interview with primenewsghana.com explained the materials given them are irrelevant since a good number of the teachers have smart phones they access their teaching materials from.
He also expressed regret that GNAT leadership still directs members to visit regional offices for financial accounts of the association while it could simply be uploaded onto the group’s website.
Below is the full press statement:
PROGRESSIVE TEACHERS AND YOUTH ALLIANCE (PROTAYA) IS WARNING THE GHANA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS NOT TO TRY SHARING BOGUS SOUVENIRS TO TEACHERS AGAIN.
The 2015/2016 academic year has come to an end nationwide in the government basic and second cycle schools which will give teachers some few weeks of rest before we return for a new academic year in September and one thing we are sure of is the GNAT leadership packing very inutile and antiquated souvenirs to us in the form of dairy, keyholder, calendar, table clock, "China radio" et al. We seriously have some questions for the GNAT leadership to answer.
1. Why do you deduct your members 19.41gh monthly which is a whooping 232.92gh a year and give them stuffs that are not even worth 2 months of their contribution in the entire year? Please we need an answer.
2. Who at all puts this very old fashion idea at your occiputs that these items you give to us, your members, are of any meaningful use? A calendar, a diary, a key holder, a table clock and China radio, in 21st century?
3. Assuming these items you distribute to us every year amount to 32.92gh on each member's 232.92gh annual contribution which those items you give are not even worth the 32.92gh, where is the rest 200gh? Pls we demand an answer because it is our own money.
4. Upon the fat monies you take from us, when will you be up and doing in fighting for a better condition of service for members? We admit that teachers condition has improved quite well but is still not the best, there is more room for improvement in our conditions of service. But with this particular question, we have an answer to it based on watching the GNAT general Secretary on GTV on the 19th of July 2016. During his presentation, he said the leadership can not demand for salary increment for us when the children we teach keep failing. Is it the cook's fault when the cassava turns out to be hard and tasteless?
You know very well teaching and learning materials and other logistics coupled with infrastructure and parents' attitude towards education in the government schools is always a big challenge, so most of us are very epiphanized and disappointed at what you said. Is very pathetic you do not appreciate the work of those whose sweat puts food on your table. What then is your use to us Mr. Gen Secretary when the members welfare does not matter to you? Please remember that if the owner of a calabash calls it a worthless calabash, others will join him to use it to pack rubbish.
The fraternity of PROTAYA is therefore demanding from the GNAT leadership the following:
 1. For accountability and transparency sake, the GNAT leadership must annually make available financial report to all members, either in hardcopy or published on GNAT official website to be accessed by all members, we mean every single member of GNAT, we must always know what our money is used for and how much is left.
2. We expect you to stop sharing those good for nothing souvenirs to us. We are in an era where all those things you waste our monies on to share to us which some members don't even get due to shortage are totally useless with all due respect. What do we need a China radio, calendar, table clock or diary for when our mobile phones have all their functions even in an improved and classy form. Please make us look respectable and a little expensive for others to start respecting us, after all it is our money and not yours, you only happen to manage it for us. So please next academic year and beyond, give your members something tangible, befitting and above all useful. If it must be done, it must be done well. This is just a warning.
Thank you.

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