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The Ghana National Association of Teachers is pushing for female teachers in the country to be given six months maternity leave, arguing that would give them enough time to wean their babies.

GNAT says it would also give nursing mothers the opportunity to feed their babies with breast milk exclusively for six in line with the Ghana Health Service policy of feeding babies, as well as get enough time to care for their babies.

Again, it wants crèches to be established in all communities such that female teachers could conveniently leave their babies and have sound minds to work effectively to achieve results.

It also recommended that female teachers must be supported by stakeholders to upgrade themselves while special motivations were made for female teachers who irrespective of their challenging roles excelled in their field of work.

Acting National President of GNAT, Madam Phillipa Larsen, made the appeal during the second Regional Quadrennial Delegates Roundtable of the GNAT-Ladies Society (GNAT-LAS) at Cape Coast on Tuesday.

The roundtable, on the theme: “Modernization of Transforming Societies through education: Equipping the female teacher,” provided the platform for lady teachers to deliberate on pertinent issues affecting them in the teaching profession.

Madam Larsen said female teachers would be able to handle learners with different learning abilities, physical challenges and emotional problems and better counsel them in all aspects of their lives if the aforementioned request were met.

According to her, special allowance should be given to female teachers who accept postings to the rural communities. She described the theme for the roundtable as appropriate because it would motivate women to position themselves well to cope with the trends efficiently and effectively in order to remain relevant on the field. She urged them to continue to upgrade themselves and sharpen their technological and methodological skills to enable them to handle their learners well.

Mrs Paulina Yankah, Headmistress of the University Practice Senior High School who was the guest speaker, reiterated the important role teachers played in educating the society and indicated that greater efforts were needed to adequately equip them.

She said there was the need to completely integrate women into each and every goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be able to achieve the desired targets. Mrs Yankah said that women empowerment and gender parity must be prioritised in the transformational agenda and charged the women to take advantage of available opportunities to develop themselves.

She admonished the lady teachers to strive to take leadership positions in the association, avail themselves as agents of change and also serve as role models for the young girls they teach. Mr Boadu Abedi William, Central Regional Secretary of GNAT, commanded the ladies for their contribution towards the success of GNAT and asked them to take lead role in the transformational agenda of the SDGs.

This, he indicated could only be possible if they analyzed and adequately transformed themselves. Mr Abedi William stressed the need for the re-introduction and strengthening of the teaching of ‘Civics’ and critical thinking to produce responsible citizens who would be able to draw a line between issues and challenges.

Madam Beatrice Botchway, Regional GNAT-LAS Coordinator admonished the female teachers to move away from the traditional methods of teaching and strive to have in-depth knowledge on today’s leaner.