A group known as the ‘Platform for Elite Teachers’ (PET) has called on the government to cancel the teacher and nursing trainee allowance that supports students while in school.
According to the group, the allowance paid to trainee teachers and nurses does not make economic sense and hence must be scrapped.
Following the assumption of office by the Mahama administration, the cancellation of teacher and nursing trainee allowance has been a major controversial topic.
Despite the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu’s denial of allegations that the government intends to cancel the allowance, many stakeholders have expressed divergent views on the subject matter.
Speaking at a news conference in Kumasi, on Wednesday, February 12, the General Secretary of the group, Musah De-Craft Coleman argued that it is unjustified for the government to keep paying trainee teachers allowance especially now that they have been elevated to degree programmes just as the traditional tertiary institutions.
“Now there are much more improvements and the country has chalked stability in the form of training and producing more teachers and nurses to fill the working space to serve the nation. It is reasonably uneconomical to maintain the payments of monthly allowance to trainees. All higher schools of learning such as Polytechnics, universities etc, that are at par with the Colleges of Education, Nursing should be treated fairly and equally.
“It is unjustified for the government to treat other segments of tertiary education such as teachers, and nurses differently by paying them an allowance. While other segments of tertiary education such as Polytechnics and universities are denied, this is a cheat. All students of higher institutions of learning should be treated fairly. PET is in support of the total cancellation of trainee allowances.”
They further urged the government to extend the allowances to all tertiary institutions across the country should it fail to cancel it as it is unfair to students of other higher educational institutions.
Little do they know that even though we are doing degree but we’ve not attained the full university status yet. With the current conditions of colleges, the restrictions, luck of hostel facilities, being treated as though they're SHS students, going for lectures everyday from 7:00am to 5:00pm, cancel the allowance and see the number of people who'll enroll in colleges. The "Cancellation" comes with a cost and if the government will be capable to bear it then it should go ahead.
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