Abubakari (Second left) handing over the PPE to Mr Korankye .
The Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union of the Trade Union Congress (TEWU-TUC) has launched an initiative to provide sanitizers and nose masks to its members across the country.
The initiative, which forms part of TEWU’s contribution to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic is being supported by Education International African Region (EIRAF).
In all, about 10, 500 customized hand sanitizers and 125, 000 pieces of disposal face masks will be distributed across the country to TEWU members in deprived areas.
TEWU General Secretary, Mark Dankyira Korankye, speaking at the media launch said the impact of Covid-19 has not only affected the economic frontiers of countries but also the social space including education.
He said early evidence of the impact of the pandemic on TEWU members (education support personnel) revealed that some members in the private schools suffered job loss to pay reduction with those who are still on the job being exposed to getting infected with the virus.
“The official launching of the EI-TEWU Covid-19 Initiative will go down as a complementary strategy in supporting the government towards fighting and mitigating the impact of Covid-19 in the school environment. The launch of this initiative is timely and responsive given the increasing number of outbreaks of the virus in the secondary schools especially in the wake of the Delta Variant,” he said.
He said prior to receiving funds from Educational International to kick start this initiative, the leadership sent a circular to its members during the early days of the outbreak, encouraging them to adhere to the safety protocols outlined by the government.
“We TEWU understand that our support to our members is not only confined to negotiations of salaries and conditions of service but the overall welfare of our members including their safety and health,” he added.
Finance Officer EIRAF, Yusif Abubakari, expressed the organization’s commitment to continue supporting the education sector of countries.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri