Regional News of Monday, 4 June 2007

Source: GNA

Teachers encouraged to join credit unions

Koforidua, June 4, GNA- The New Juaben Municipal Director of Education, Ms Felicia Duku has observed that, successive governments were not able to meet all the demands of teachers with the excuse that the number of teachers was very high.

She observed that, the large population is an asset rather than a liability to the profession and advised teachers to join the numerous teachers credit associations established in the Municipalities, Districts and Metropolis.

She said this would enable them to access soft loans to acquire immovable properties and other personal effects to better their living conditions while in active service and even after retiring Ms Duku was speaking at a function to elect new executives for the New Juaben Teachers Welfare Association with a membership of over 900 at Koforidua on Saturday.

Teachers in the country number over 180,000, the largest group in the public sector.

She explained that, contributing into the Teachers Fund and other credit schemes would generate accumulated funds that could beef up the SSNIT Pension Scheme benefit and guarantee an enjoyable life for the teacher after pension. Meanwhile, the New Juaben Welfare Association has purchased a brand new 33-seater Tata bus at the cost of 329 million cedis for commercial purposes. The amount came from membership dues and the bus is intended to generate funds to strengthen the financial standing of the association.