A senior lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba, Professor Andy Ofori-Birikorang has stated that muting of voices has led teachers to feel that they “are undermined or disrespected as professionals and marginalized by society.”
According to him, the culture of silence has permeated Ghana’s education sector as many heads of educational institutions and teachers refuse to speak out on pertinent issues affecting their work.
Teacher associations have also complained time and again about being marginalized in decision making.
Professor Ofori-Birikorang was speaking at a symposium as part activities to celebrate World Teachers Day on October 5, in Sekondi-Takoradi, the capital of the Western region.
Speaking on the theme “The teachers we need for the education we want; the global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage”, the senior lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba, stated that, Ghana cannot steer away from the conventional over-flogged solutions on the theme.
According to him, the education Ghana wants should be a high-performing educational system driven by and targeting excellence, equity and efficiency. The teachers needed for the high-performing educational system must also have the qualities of being critical and creative thinkers.
Professor Ofori-Birikorang, however, lamented that teachers voices have been muted in decision-making and wondered how their commitment can be built for them to identify with the new educational system.
“This muting of voices has led teachers to feel that they are undermined or disrespected as professionals and marginalised by society. In several school environments, opportunities for social interaction have been made dormant or killed. This takes a toll on millennial teachers who are not ready to accommodate this social behaviour that doesn’t create,” he stated.
The Western regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah in his address emphasised the importance of the teacher to student proportion in education system.
He explained “this is why the present government has employed over 93,000 trained teachers to bridge the gap in our education system to increase economic growth in a well- educated working environment to thwart stagnation, poverty and other inequalities within the country.”
He added that “quality education is a powerful tool for preventing conflict and promoting peace within our communities and the country at large.”
The Deputy minister of Education in charge of TVET, Gifty Twum Ampofo, reiterated the importance of the teacher in Ghana’s human resource development.
“The most valuable resources we have as a nation is human capital and without the teacher, that human capital cannot be developed,” she said.
The symposium at the Akroma Plaza in Takoradi forms part of activities to celebrate World Teachers Day which falls on October 5 in Sekondi-Takoradi of the Western region.
By Shirley Awurama Smith|ConnectFM|Onuaonline.com
