Accra: Teachers’ Unions to Continue Monitoring Education Reforms

Education International Africa (EIA), in its ongoing efforts to assess progress  on  union engagement with the Government and the Education Workforce Initiative (EWI), arranged a two-day workshop at the Mensvic Hotel in Accra, Ghana, for its member organisations in Sierra Leone and Ghana. The workshop, with the theme, "Educators United for Quality Public Education," was conducted on February 14 and 15, 2024.
 
The workshop, attended by  20 local participants from GNAT, NAGRAT, TEWU, and CCT, 4 Participants from SLTU, Sierra Leone, and EI Africa Secretariat staff were also joined virtually by other colleagues. In his opening remarks, Dr. Dennis Sinyolo, Director for Education International Africa, called on African governments to demonstrate clear political will, commitment, and action to deliver on the quality education promise. To address the teacher shortage, he urged African governments to take immediate policy, legislative and financing measures. Additionally, Sinyolo urged African Union (AU) member states to ensure that every African child is taught by a qualified, supported, and motivated teacher; a teacher with decent salaries and working conditions.
 
Participants had the chance to discuss the results of their engagement with the EWI throughout the sessions. They critically evaluated the degree to which the unions were involved in the education and teacher-related changes that their government/nation implemented from 2018. Along with developing solutions, the participants evaluated the current and possible effects of these policies.
 
The deliberations revealed that EWI was indeed an opportunity for unions to be proactive and had options and examples of what works for Governments. SLTU was able to influence a number of policies between 2018 and 2023. However, in Ghana the involvement of the unions was rather limited. While a few leaders were involved in some of the  activities, union members and leaders for the most part did not participate in specific EWI activities. Nevertheless, unions have been part of several education reforms which could have gained much from EWI. The union leaders were therefore able to design strategies for future engagement in education reforms.
 
The unions would gather concrete evidence, sensitise the public, network and build alliances, hold public campaigns, lobby Parliamentarians and other executives, track budgets and advocating for increased education spending, and engage in policy and social dialogue.
 
‘Dear colleagues, as we close the EWI project, let us come up with strategies for moving its proactive approach forward. In as much as we will continue to push back on negative education policies and reforms, we need to be proactive and propositional to our governments. We need to offer them policy options and examples of what works’, Dr Sinyolo concluded.

[Sat, 17 Feb 2024 10:58:00 +0000] | DIGG THIS


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