The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Musah, has called on government to address the growing challenges among teachers in the country, insisting that human security is an integral part of national security.

Mr Musah revealed that Ghana’s effort to foil terrorist attacks in the country will not yield much if enough attention is not given to its internal human security. He indicated that as government has prioritised the country’s security measures by retooling security apparatus, the Association’s issues of basic necessities equally need attention as well.

“The reason why the welfare matters are critical now is because we are dealing with national security matters at this particular time and era of our existence… We cannot engage in the national security dialogue by not taking into consideration the human security. Human security is an integral part of national security and because it’s an integral part of it, it is something we need to address as quickly as possible because it could have serious implications on our national security.”
Thomas Musah

The GNAT General Secretary highlighted that the hardship in the country is exposing people, particularly teachers to financial difficulties, hence, their decision to embark on an industrial action if nothing is done to address it.

“We are saying that we are in an era where the basic necessities of workers is going beyond what they can afford; shelter is going way overboard [and] water, food, clothing and everything the teacher will need to survive is in serious challenge. We are saying that we should not wait for workers, particularly teachers, to agitate before they respond.”
Thomas Musah

Addressing concerns of teachers

Commenting on the pressure exerted by members on the Association to appeal to government to do more, Mr Musah expressed that there is “an uneasy calm” among its members. He explained that they are coming from a “background of 4% and 7%”, with regard to their wages which didn’t sit well with them.

“I can tell you on authority, there’s an uneasy calm… That is why at this particular point in time, it has become necessary to draw attention to these things; that we are dealing with the issues of human security and workers are seriously challenged regarding the issue of water, food, clothing, transportation and light bills. We are calling on the government to do something about this.”
Thomas Musah

Mr Musah revealed that despite their appeal to the government to institute the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA), there hasn’t been any conversation on the matter yet. He iterated that this is the time for the government to respond to the issues of human security, which could have serious implications on national security.

“To the best of my knowledge, we’ve not had any conversation about it. The only thing that has been looked at is the issue of the minimum wage and even that one it has not been concluded. So, if the minimum wage has not been concluded, when will the compensation for 2023 be concluded?… We are saying that the time to act is now. Don’t let us take these things and delay it and we will say we will not respond; it will not help anybody.”
Thomas Musah