The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in the Upper East Region has commended the Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Akamugri Donatus Atanga, for his interventions in resolving recent disturbances in some second-cycle institutions and helping to maintain peace across the region.
The commendation came when the newly elected regional leadership of GNAT paid a courtesy call on the Minister to formally introduce themselves following elections held last year.
Speaking on behalf of the association, Upper East Regional GNAT Chairman, Mr. Korah Maurice, said the visit was intended to strengthen collaboration between the teachers’ union and the Regional Coordinating Council as partners in education.
He noted that although the new executives had intended to pay the courtesy call in 2025, circumstances beyond their control prevented them from doing so.
Mr. Maurice praised the Minister for his efforts in preserving peace since assuming office, particularly within the education sector.
According to him, the Minister’s timely interventions in recent disturbances at Bolgatanga Technical Institute and Bongo Secondary School helped restore calm and avert further escalation.
He observed that the Minister had consistently worked around the clock to address emerging challenges and ensure stability across the region.
He also described GNAT as the largest educational organization in the region, with a membership of 13,302 teachers spread across seven districts—Garu, Bawku East, Bawku West, Bolgatanga, Bongo, Kassena-Nankana and Builsa.
The Regional Chairman disclosed that the association was working to empower teachers through continuous professional development programmes while also making efforts to complete a GNAT facility in the region.
Touching on the security situation in Bawku, Mr. Maurice described the conflict as the association’s biggest concern, recalling the loss of a dedicated teacher to the violence.
He said GNAT remains committed to promoting peace through education and is encouraging teachers to instill in students the values of tolerance, dialogue and peaceful coexistence.
Responding to the commendation, Hon. Akamugri Donatus Atanga acknowledged the critical role teachers play in national development, describing them as the builders of the country’s human resource base.
He, however, noted that inadequate remuneration continues to push many teachers out of the profession despite the enormous sacrifices they make.
The Minister observed that teachers often work beyond official classroom hours, preparing lesson notes, marking assignments and scripts, and undertaking other responsibilities that are rarely acknowledged.
Addressing the recent disturbances in Bolgatanga Technical Institute and Bongo Secondary School, the Minister argued that teachers must play a leading role in preventing student unrest.
He said Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, introduced the boarding school system to foster national unity and integration among people from different ethnic backgrounds.
However, he expressed concern that some teachers were promoting tribal sentiments within schools, a situation he said often fuels divisions among students and contributes to conflicts on campus.
He cited an incident at St. Benedict’s Senior High School in Navrongo where a case involving the theft of a mobile phone reportedly degenerated into tensions along ethnic lines.
The Minister therefore urged GNAT to engage its members on the dangers of tribalism and help promote national cohesion in schools.
He also raised concerns about increasing cases of drug abuse and indiscipline in second-cycle institutions and called on GNAT to contribute practical solutions to address the challenge.
Hon. Atanga tasked the association to propose strategies to curb student riots, particularly in the Upper East Region, stressing that such disturbances negatively affect academic work and damage the reputation of schools.
He noted that while measures taken to restore order during student unrest may sometimes inconvenience innocent students, they are often necessary to protect lives, preserve school property and restore normalcy.
On the broader security situation in the region, the Minister said there had been relative peace in Bawku in recent months compared to previous periods of intense violence.
As Chairman of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), he said government and the security agencies remained vigilant and had adopted new approaches to managing the conflict.
He added that the Peace Council had intensified community sensitization efforts while the Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee had been reactivated to support ongoing peacebuilding initiatives.
Regarding GNAT’s plans to strengthen its presence in Bawku East, where the association currently has no district chairman, the Minister encouraged the union to develop an appropriate security strategy for any future conferences or leadership activities in the area.
He assured the association that with adequate planning and prior engagement with the security agencies, arrangements could be made to ensure the safety of participants without creating additional security challenges.
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