The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has called on political parties to prioritize teacher welfare in their education policies rather than focusing solely on students.

According to NAGRAT, past governments have neglected the welfare of teachers, leading to low morale and unfavorable working conditions.

Atindana Baba Joseph, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of NAGRAT, expressed concerns over the recurring tendency of political parties to emphasize policies that benefit students while overlooking the needs of the teachers who are responsible for implementing those policies.

"For political parties, we have heard what they promised, and what makes us so angry is that always the policies are geared towards the students. How to make the students something, not the ones who are going to implement those policies—that has been our worry," he said.

NAGRAT highlighted several ongoing challenges faced by teachers, including a lack of housing for rural teachers, delays in the payment of allowances, and insufficient teaching and learning resources. These issues, the association believes, are undermining the ability of teachers to perform their duties effectively.

One specific example cited by Atindana Baba Joseph was the distribution of TM1 laptops to teachers, which have only 2.5GB of memory, compared to laptops with higher memory capacity provided to students. NAGRAT sees this as a reflection of the broader imbalance in how education resources are allocated.

NAGRAT urged political parties to make teachers the focal point of their efforts to improve education by offering better welfare packages, housing solutions, and enhanced facilities. The association also advocated for the improvement of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy rather than its cancellation, a concern raised by some political figures.

"We have heard both parties and what they said, but what we are saying is that make the teacher the pivotal element in promoting and enhancing education," said Atindana.

"We are not interested in their new definition of improved mean cancellation; we are not interested in that. We are born to teach, whoever comes to power, we will teach. However, if you come and enhance our welfare, the package, that makes us more interested in the teaching, and every teacher motivated will teach you to the best of his ability—and the vice versa is true."

Speaking at NAGRAT’s 25th anniversary launch in Kumasi, the Registrar of the National Teaching Council, Dr. Christian Addai-Poku, defended the introduction of the Teacher Licensure Examination, asserting that it was essential for maintaining high standards in the profession.

He encouraged political figures to consult with education experts for a more comprehensive understanding of policies related to teaching and learning.