The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has initiated a 30 billion cedi habitat loan scheme for teachers due for retirement. The loan, which can be assessed through the teachers welfare fund, is to enable teachers who are left with about seven years to retire to build their own houses before going on retirement.

Mr Thomas Baafi, the Central Regional GNAT Secretary, said this at a meeting with the Abura Asebu Kwamankese branch of the Association. He appealed to members to increase their contribution to the fund to enable more people to benefit from the loan.

The meeting, which was organised by the district GNAT secretariat, was to discuss the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and CAP 30 pension scheme.

Mr Baafi said apart from the habitat scheme, GNAT has put in place other facilities where financial assistance is given to teachers already in small-scale business to improve businesses. Touching on NHIS and Cap 30, Mr Baafi described the scheme as very good but said the association had no objection to its implementation provided workers two-and-half percent Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions are not used.

He said the government should allow GNAT to start its own health insurance scheme with the 25,000 cedis paid to teachers as their medical bills as seed money.

Mr Baafi said GNAT would campaign for the restoration of CAP 30 since under the SSNIT pension scheme, teachers pension was meagre and could not address their needs.

He said education is being under funded and that a greater portion of the education sector's budget goes into paying teachers' salaries with very little going into the provision of infrastructure, teaching and learning materials.