Teachers and Trainees Advocacy (TTA) has stated emphatically that the allowance payment to trainee teachers is well justified and must continue unabated.

The group’s comment comes on the back of calls by individuals and organizations like Africa Education Watch, questioning the potency and the relevance of the payment of the allowances to trainee teachers amidst the perpetual hardships in the country and as a matter of misplaced priority, the deplorable state of our Basic education in the country.

But TTA in a statement signed by Antwi Karikari Patrick, National Convener, and Sao Bernard, Director of Publicity said “this is the time that as a country, we need to fix our attention on why we need to figure out the cogent reasons the allowances was re-introduced without the mere fact that it is a political promise from the incumbent government.”

It stressed that it’s imperative to note that the allowances help the trainee teacher in many ways which make it preposterous to be cancelled or scrapped.

Below is the full statement

 

DATE: 28th April, 2022.

PRESS RELEASE

IT MAY BE DEBATABLE, BUT THE REALITY STILL HOLDS. THE CALL FOR CANCELLATION OF TRAINEE ALLOWANCE, A FLIGHT RISK, AND A DANGER TO THE WELFARE OF THE TRAINEE TEACHER.

Following the letter from the Conference of Principals from the Colleges of Education(PRINCOF) to make collegians from May 4, 2022, feed themselves as a result of piled-up arrears of the feeding component meant to be wired into the accounts of the Colleges, there have been various reactions from other stakeholders like MOE, NUGS and TTAG to help alleviate the situation since it came to the fore of the media space. The leadership of TTA extends their sincere appreciation to the Minister of Education, Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum for swiftly attending to the situation and releasing an amount of GHC 67,942,652 to be disbursed to the various colleges.

We can also not deny the fact that there have been comments and views from other individuals and organizations like Africa Education Watch, questioning the potency and the relevance of the payment of the allowances to trainee teachers amidst the perpetual hardships in the country and as a matter of misplaced priority, the deplorable state of our Basic education in the country.

The leadership of TTA opines otherwise, and emphatically states that the allowance payment to trainee teachers is well justified and must continue unabated. This is the time that as a country, we need to fix our attention on why we need to figure out the cogent reasons the allowances was re-introduced without the mere fact that it is political promise from the incumbent government.

It’s imperative to note that the allowances help the trainee teacher in the following ways which make it preposterous to be cancelled or scrapped;

The allowances spellbind prospective tertiary students to choose the colleges of education ahead of other tertiary institutions.

The seminarian-type of living in the colleges of education is still observed, unlike the traditional university.

Graduates from the colleges are duty-bound to accept postings wherever vacancy is available.

As an Advocacy team, our position is that the allowances must continue to be paid to Trainee teachers irrespective of the degree certification and automatic postings there-after because in the line of duty as teachers, they make their bed wherever they lay their head.

We are making it abundantly clear and being fundamentally honest that the trainee allowance has come to stay and ought to be paid by the current and successive governments.

Thank you.

Antwi Karikari Patrick
National Convener-TTA,
Teacher Trainees’ Education Analyst +233245185314/+233204424278

Sao Benard
Director of Publicity
+233249557676/+233502974884.

Cc:
The Minister of Education
The Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education
The Chairperson, Parliamentary Select Committee on Education
The Executive Secretary, NTC
The Director General, GES
The Chairperson, PRINCOF
The President, NUGS
All SRC Presidents, CoE
All Media Houses-GH