Housing is a top priority for teachers – GNAT

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Peter Korda, has indicated that housing for teachers in the country is one of their primary needs.

To him, it will improve the living conditions of teachers and go a long way to boost their morale.

The association has lamented their poor living conditions for a couple of years now. Fortunately, President Akufo-Addo has promised to deliver affordable houses to teachers to improve their standards of living.

According to the GNAT Spokesperson, the directive by the president is certainly a good move, but the association would also seek that it benefits teachers. “The president’s promise is good; however, we would deliberate on it as an association and pursue that it wholesomely benefits our teachers. We will discuss the proposal exhaustively. For instance, we would look at our salary as against the proposal and identify whether it would really help us or not.”

During an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, Peter Korda said, “housing is definitely part of our topmost priorities when it comes to our field. Even as an association, we have already established a teacher’s fund with an aspect of it named the ‘habitat loan’. This loan gives an opportunity for teachers to take loans for building their own homes. This shows the importance we place on housing. We want every single member of GNAT to be able to live in their own homes when they go on retirement. Definitely, the president’s proposal is very significant and can help improve our living conditions.”

He further argued that an increment in teachers’ salaries would not be enough to help them secure better living conditions even after retirement. “Truthfully, every worker would obviously wish the salaries would be increased or doubled. However, this money could be wasted without achieving anything important. We need people to push us in a certain angle to be able to accomplish something, and policies like this would definitely make people committed. Therefore, it’s obviously a necessity.”

The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, during the Sixth Quadrennial National Delegates’ Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, in Kumasi, promised to construct 10,000 affordable houses for teachers in the country.