We need extension of maternity leave - GNAT ladies appeal to GES
The Ghana National Association of Teachers Ladies Society (GNAT-LAS) in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality has appealed to its employer, the Ghana Education Service (GES), to extend the maternity leave period for female teachers to six months instead of the current three months which they claim is woefully inadequate.
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The Manya Krobo Coordinator for GNAT-LAS, Ms Shirley Ayerkie Anim, in her report at the 5th Quadrennial Delegates conference held at the Kpong Ensign College of Public Health noted with concern that female teachers suffered in the classroom any time they returned from maternity leave because they had not rested enough after delivery.
That, she explained, put some amount of pressure on them.
The report also stated that female teachers should be allowed to bring their babies to school after the six-month maternity leave.
‘“When this is granted, we shall have healthy babies who would be fed exclusively on breastmilk. The female teachers would also avoid the psychological trauma as a result of conflicts with heads of various educational institutions where we work,” GNAT-LAS emphasised in the report.
Roundtable conference
The GNAT-LAS roundtable conference was on the theme: “Women Economic Empowerment and the Changing World of Work.”
The Guest Speaker for the conference, Mrs Agnes Akweley Attipoe, a Deputy Director in charge of Finance and Administration in the Lower Manya Krobo Education Directorate, said education provided women with knowledge, skills, and the self-confidence they needed to seek economic opportunities.
“Providing financial incentives for girls to attend school has proven to be effective for increasing girls’ enrollment and completion rates,” Mrs Attipoe added.
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She said the economic empowerment of women was essential for gender equality, adding that it was also a means to secure women’s equal status and participation in all endeavours — professional, social, and political.
She added that the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would further enhance gender equality and empowerment of women in the economic sphere, thereby benefiting individuals, families, and communities and contributing to stronger and more cohesive societies.
To ensure full economic empowerment of women by 2030, Mrs Attipoe said there should be a level playing field which eliminates gender stereotyping and traditional culture-based roles for women, adding that “investing in women and girls has multiplier effect on productivity, efficiency, and sustained economic growth.”
Both the Eastern Regional GNAT Secretary, Mr Daniel Affadu, and the Manya Krobo GNAT Secretary, Mr John Gomey, lauded GNAT-LAS for its contribution to the development of GNAT, their mother union, and said they would forward the concerns to their employer for redress.