Extend students loan scheme to teachers doing distance education

Kumasi, Oct. 13, GNA - Mrs Irene Adanusa, General-Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), has asked the government to consider extending the students loan scheme to cover teachers pursuing degree or diploma programmes through the distance education programme but who are still in the classroom.

She said, although government wanted a lot of teachers to pursue the long distance programme, the cost involved was deterring a lot of people from participating the programme.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Kumasi at the weekend, Mrs Adanusa mentioned the cost of books and logistics, as well as transportation from one campus to the other as major constraints discouraging people from taking part in the programme. She said research conducted by GNAT revealed that many teachers who applied for study leave every year would rather prefer to be in the classroom to teach and pursue the long distance learning programme if they would be supported financially with loans.

Mrs Adanusa also urged the government to facilitate the delivery of quality education in the public schools since the majority of Ghanaians could send their children only to the public schools in view of the high school fees charged by the private schools.

She appealed to the government to increase the intake in Teacher Training Colleges to help produce more teachers to fill the many vacancies in schools throughout the country.