He said the trend everywhere in the world was to give communities a say in how their schools were being run.
He noted that he felt very scandalized when PTAs were virtually shoved aside under the previous administration and not allowed to be a part of the running of the nation’s schools, especially at the secondary level.
“And so I believe that PTA participation must be fully restored so that they work with teachers and the administration of the schools to make sure that the schools are run properly and that our children are getting a good outcome in terms of teaching and learning,” President Mahama stated when he received a delegation of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) led by the Secretary-General Mr Thomas Tanko Musah at the Presidency in Accra.
The delegation was at the Presidency to congratulate President Mahama on his resounding victory in the December 2024 general election.
President Mahama said the Government would continue to work closely with tthe GNAT and other teacher unions to make sure that they were able to improve the conditions of service of teachers, so that teachers were treated with respect.
He said teachers are the ones who create the foundation that makes them who they will become in the future.
President Mahama reiterated that the Government had passed a directive that every school that was being built at the basic level must come with accompanying accommodation for teachers.
He said instead of just building a sixth classroom block, there must be teachers’ quarters attached to the classroom block, so that the teachers teaching there could have accommodation.
Touching on housing for Teachers, President Mahama said the Government wanted to collaborate with the Teachers Fund, so that the Governments could also make a counterpart funding and add it to what the teachers had and then they could have their members apply for housing.
He said the Government would sit with GNAT and make a design for low-cost houses for teachers.
“So, if we can make provision in the budget for a fund that will be a counterpart fund to the Teachers Fund, then teachers can apply to own their own homes. And so, we would go in and build it for them,” the President said.
He added: “And if they have a working life of, say, 15 to 20 years, it is possible to deduct, you know, monthly from their salaries, so that by the time they are ready to go on retirement, they own the house….We believe that they should be able to retire in dignity.”
He said the teachers’ housing project was something that the Minister of Education would take up with GNAT, so that they could design it, and then maybe from beginning of 2026, when they come for their big meeting.
Adding that they should be able to announce something big for teachers to celebrate at their next big meeting early next year.
With regards to pensions, President Mahama said the Government and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Organised Labour would soon hold a meeting to look at the pension restructure.
Concerning the report of the Education Review Committee, the President said one of the highlights was the issue of decentralisation; so that they have better supervision at the district level and better-quality outcomes.
He said: ““Because I think that it’s easier for the education service to supervise and monitor schools at the district level than for us to try and do it from the centre.
“And so that’s one of the issues we’ll be taking up with you.”
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, Education Minister, said it is evident that they could not achieve quality education without positioning the teacher and therefore the service of the teacher to the success of the learner was a sine qua non.
Mr. Thomas Tanko Musah, the Secretary-General of GNAT, congratulated President Mahama on his decisive victory in the December 7 general election.
He expressed the hope that God would assist President Mahama to deliver on all his electoral promises to Ghanaians, particularly the teachers.
He extended an invitation to the President to be the guest of honour at their national delegate congress, slated for the first week of January 2026, in Accra.
Mr. Kwame Pianim, an eminent economist, described the GNAT as one of the best labour unions in the country.
GNA
