The Government of Ghana (GoG) is fast-tracking the process for the payment of the 6 months teacher trainees allowance before Colleges of Education resume, the Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) said on Tuesday.
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TTAG leadership in a statement copied to EducationWeb.com.gh said it after meeting with the Management of the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) was told the allowance may be paid before the end of December this year.
“The Director in charge of allowance in an engagement vowed that they will fast track the process to make payment before Colleges of Education resume and if possible before the end of December this year,” TTAG said in the release.
The stakeholders meeting comes after the Spokesman for the Ministry of Education (MoE), Kwesi Kwarteng October this year said the Controller and Accountant General’s Department is processing the payment of the allowance.
He in an interview with Accra-based Citi 93.7 FM monitored by EducationWeb.com.gh said the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has approved the payment of the much-expected teacher trainees six months allowance.
“The Ministry of Finance is responsible for releasing the funds. It is now at the level of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department for final disbursement. So I’m sure as soon as possible the money will be released,” he said.
Yaw Opoku Mensah, the Deputy Spokesperson for the Education Ministry in an interview with a Kumasi-based radio station also said the government by end of December will settle all the debt owed to teacher trainees in the country.
“I want to assure all trainees that the government in due course will settle the unpaid debts, the Finance Ministry has begun a process to effect the payment in the coming few days, it could be within the last month of the year” he stated.
The Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) before the meeting with the Management of the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) threatened to embark on a nationwide industrial action if the owed allowances are not paid on time.
The government allowance trainees rely on to settle their school and examination fees, TTAG said has caused most teacher trainees not to sit for the end of semester examination across various public Colleges of Education (CoE).
“The delay of the payment of the allowance has subjected them to constant borrowing and the usage of the internally generated funds of the Colleges of Education,” the Teacher Trainees’ Association stated in a press release.
In a related development, the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Mr Kofi Asare has urged the government to use the GH¢ 250 million to be spent on teacher trainees feeding in the 2022 academic year to recruit more teachers
“If I were an advisor to this gov’t, I would recommend that the GH¢ 250 million being spent on teacher trainees feeding allowance in 2022 be rather used to employ an extra 7k teachers,” EduWatch Director said on Monday.
The 6mo