The Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) were on Wednesday urged to jointly negotiate with banks and build houses for all teachers in the country.
This would help in solving some of the socio-economic problems facing teachers and ensure the promotion and sustainability of the teaching profession.
Mr. Nicholas N. Nayembil, a retired educationist, made the call at the third Quadrennial Bolgatanga Municipal Delegates' Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), in Bolgatanga.
It was under the theme: 'Responding to the Socio-Economic Challenges of Teachers, the Way Forward'.
Mr. Nayembil noted that the performance of teachers was being hindered by numerous problems and said "These socio-economic challenges have to be addressed by the government and all other stakeholders in education in order to make the teaching profession attractive to encourage teachers to be efficient and effective".
He called on government to implement the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP) without delay to improve the salary of teachers.
Mr. Nayembil expressed worry that some teachers any time they went to the Bank for their salaries at the end of the month were told that their moneys were not ready.
He appealed to the Controller and Accountant-General's Department to give prior notice as to when exactly teachers should expect their salaries.
Mr. Nayembil called on District and Regional Directors of Education to endorse loan application forms for teachers to enable them to obtain loans from the Banks.
Mr. Nayembil urged parents to support teachers to discipline school children instead of criticising or assaulting them for correcting the children.
Mr. David King Yin, Vice Municipal Chairman, GNAT, commended teachers for upgrading their knowledge and skills at the Universities.
He asked the teachers to join credit unions to improve upon their socio-economic status.
The conference gave participants the opportunity to take stock of their work, assess their strengths and weaknesses and discuss plans for the future.