The John Dramani Mahama government has announced plans to cancel the payment of allowances to teacher trainees in the country, despite promising in its manifesto to retain the allowance and ensure prompt payment.
In its 2024 manifesto, the then opposition NDC pledged to alleviate the hardships faced by parents and students in public tertiary institutions by providing trainee allowances, student loans, and other diverse funding options for teacher and nursing trainees. However, just one month into office, it has announced plans to cancel the allowance, causing disbelief among trainees who had voted for the NDC on the basis of this promise.
Haruna Iddrisu, Minister for Education, who announced the government’s plan to cancel the allowance, instead noted that the government intends to transition trainees into the student loan scheme, the same rhetoric used to justify the allowance’s cancellation during President John Dramani Mahama’s first term, before its restoration by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government in 2017.
Mr Iddrisu stated that the student loan scheme would operate alongside the allowance system for a short period to give students the option to choose before the full transition takes place.
The Minister disclosed the government’s plans to cancel the allowance when he met with the leadership of the Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education, Ghana (PRINCOF), in Accra last Thursday.
During the meeting, the principals used the platform to voice their challenges and explore strategies to enhance learning outcomes, improve the quality of education, and enhance their overall welfare.
In August 2024, President Mahama had promised to maintain the allowance should he be elected. Speaking during a media engagement to wrap up a four-day tour of the Upper East Region, the President criticised the Akufo-Addo government for the irregular payment of the allowances, stating that his government would ensure steady payment when elected.
