The National Teaching Council (NTC) says it has agreed to meet teacher unions to find an amicable solution to agitations by teachers against the payment of fees for Teacher Professional Licenses.
According Dennis Osei-Owusu, Public Relations Officer of the NTC, a date would soon be fixed within next week for a meeting, following a consideration of some documents received from teacher unions detailing their concerns.
Teacher unions have recently kicked against the NTC’s new policy which requires In-Service teachers to pay GH¢200 for their Professional Licenses and a GH¢100 biennial renewal fees.
In a statement jointly signed by Ms Philipa Larsen, President, Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Eric Agbe-Carbonu, President, National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and King Ali Awudu, President, Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT-Gh), the group threatened to advise themselves accordingly should the NTC fail to heed to their call to suspend the implementation of its new policy.
But speaking to ADR Daily in Accra on Wednesday, Mr. Osei-Owusu said the NTC was giving full attention to the concerns raised by the teacher groups, and expressed optimism of an amicable settlement during the impending meeting.
“The most important thing is that we are having a meeting with them, and then we will all come to a consensus because without teacher unions, the NTC will be nothing. NTC was created for teachers so whatever concerns they are having, we must take them seriously and find a way to address them,” he said.
Other stakeholders expected to be at the meeting include representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, Student Representative Council, Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools, and District Directors of Education.
Benjamin Nana Appiah/adrdaily.com
