TEACHER TRANSFERS SHOULD NOT BREAK UP MARRIAGES (PAGE 11, OCT 9)

AN Educationist has appealed to regional and district directors not to effect any transfers of teachers that could break up marriages.
Mr Edward Danso Baah, a tutor at the Kade Senior High Technical School, who made the appeal, also suggested prompt payment of salaries for newly trained teachers, especially females, to prevent them from falling prey to sexual predators.
Mr Baah, who is also a senior official of Education For All, a body set up to educate teachers on HIV/AIDS, made the appeal when he addressed a durbar to mark this year’s Teachers’ Day at Akyem Takyiman in the Kwaebibirem District.
The gathering brought together teachers, pupils of primary and junior high schools in the area, as well as parents. They were schooled on HIV/AIDS contraction, prevention and management, while retired teachers in the district were presented with awards.
According to Mr Baah, most often transfers were made and these affected marriages since the spouses were at different locations which were often far from the other. That brought many problems and led to the break-up of marriages.
He also noted that the long delay in putting newly trained teachers, especially females on the pay roll, compelled them to fall prey to all kinds of sexual predators.
He, therefore, called on the education authorities to find out how best to address such problems to prevent teachers from contracting HIV/AIDS and also save their marriages.
“Some of the transfers are breaking our marriages because a husband will be posted to a community far away from his wife and they will be in that position for years which often results in a break-up of the marriage”.
“Our newly-trained ladies posted to new stations who are not also put on salaries on time fall prey to men and that puts them at the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS”, Mr Baah stated.
Mr Baah, however, called on teachers to live exemplary lives to serve as role models to the children under their care.
The Kwaebibirem District Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mr John A. Selby, said since the well-being of society depended on teachers, the government should invest in them as well as the entire educational sector.
For his part, the Kwaebibirem District Secretary of GNAT, Mr George Aboagye, asked his fellow teachers to spend at least five minutes of their lessons on HIV/AIDS education.
The Circuit Supervisor of Education for Takyiman, Mr Alex Owusu Akyem, called on parents, religious and community leaders to help prevent teenage pregnancies.
In an address read on his behalf, the District Chief Executive, Mr George Agyeman Duah, indicated that the assembly was doing its best to improve educational infrastructure in the area.
The Ankobeahene of Akyem Takyiman, Nana Frempong Bosumtwi Siaman who chaired the function, expressed happiness that the town had hosted the event and educated schoolchildren on HIV/AIDS, which he said was rampant in the area.