The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has reiterated calls for the restoration of the teacher trainee allowances.
According to the National President of GNAT, Philippa Larsen, the restoration of the trainee allowances will not only help brilliant students who are financially handicapped but also encourage other prospective students.
“There are a lot of students who depend on this allowance to go through training and cancellation means these trainees will have to either drop out or struggle throughout,” he said.
“It is not easy going through training without help, we have students who primarily opted to go through teacher training because they know there is something to rely on.”
Government, this year, had announced the withdrawal of both teacher trainee and trainee nurses’ allowances, prompting agitations and subsequent demonstration by the trainees.
Although government justified the withdrawal, saying the intention is to increase enrolment, that explanation did not go down well with the trainees.
President John Dramani Mahama later reversed the ban on the trainee nurses’ allowances.
But speaking to Bright Kwesi Asempa, host of Onua FM’s morning show Ye Sempa, the GNAT National President called on the President John Dramani Mahama to consider restoring the teacher trainee allowances.
“The effects of that withdrawal will be felt in the long term. It may not be now but in the future. I am saying if what will motivate people to go into teaching is not there, how do you want others to go to training college? The zeal will not be there and that is our worry.”
Mr Larsen posited that the country now needs a National Education Policy, which should be in the National Development Agenda, such that every successive government will follow.
He added that if teacher trainee allowances were to be a national policy, no government can willfully scrap it without consultations.
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