The Regional Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Teachers in the Ashanti Region has called on the authority of parliament to look into increasing the maternity leave of female teachers.
During the 90th Anniversary ceremony held on Tuesday 24th November 2021, Mr. Takyei said female teachers are forced by their employer to return to the classroom after three months of their delivery. According to him, this makes most of them not to be able to deliver a successful lesson because they are a physical and emotional challenge for leaving their three months babies in the house and delivering a lesson in class.
Mr. Takyei during the ceremony in Kumasi noted that most of these teachers are forced by their circuit supervisors or headteachers to leave their three monthly babies in the house and come to school. He said the most painful thing is some of these female teachers when they bring their newborn babies they are been penalize for bringing them to class because it is against the code of conduct of the employer.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service advocates that when a woman gives birth to a child there should be exclusive six months of breastfeeding. Due to this, the Regional Chairman of GNAT Mr. Takyei is calling on Ghana parliamentarians to increase the maternity leave of female teachers so that they can get space to cater for their newborn babies before they return to the classroom.
He further explained that the Ghana Education Service code of conduct says a child who is not up to school-going age should not be seen in school and for this reason three months’ babies are not mature enough to be in school.
