GTU TRAINS TEACHERS ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
The Gambia Teachers’ Union through support from from the Education and Solidarity Network has organized a four day Occupational Health training for close to One Hundred teachers in Regions 1 and 4. The training that kick-started on the 8th-12th February 2022 at the Christians’ Council in Kanifing and the Regional Education Directorate 4 respectively, is meant to among other things provide education personnel with key information to raise their awareness of the importance of school health and occupational health for quality education, develop their understanding of social protection, and union rights in The Gambia.
In 2021, The Gambia participated in the first edition of the International Barometer on Education Personnel’s Health and Well-being through the involvement of GTU, who distributed the survey to its members. A total of 222 Gambian teachers responded to questions, offering a unique insight into the experiences of Gambian teachers in 2021. Among other findings, the results highlighted high expectations in terms of professional training (64% of Gambian teachers feel that they perform tasks for which they need more training; 92% do not have access to training and/or prevention resources on health/well-being), as well as social protection (3 out of 4 teachers are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their access to healthcare; 50% of the teachers had to forgo some healthcare because of financial problems).
The Barometer aims to support national and international policies to promote the health and well-being of educational communities.
