Government unveils special deal for teachers

Teachers posted to rural communities and those serving in special schools will receive allowances under the new public sector pay policy Single Spine Salary Structure.

Vice-President John Mahama, who announced this yesterday, said the government had commenced the implementation of incentives for teachers, including professional allowances, stressing that data was being collected to implement special allowances for especially, vocational/technical and science tutors.

He was speaking at the 16th National Best Teacher Award at Koforidua in the Eastern Region which coincided with the World Teachers’ Day, under the theme, “Recovery begins with teachers,” to emphasise the role teachers play in quality education delivery.

The occasion witnessed the recognition of 84 teachers in 17 categories of awards, ranging from a cheque for putting up a building, saloon cars, fridges, cookers and TV set.

Touching on the enrolment of the new students into Senior High Schools vis-à-vis infrastructural constraints, he urged the Ghana Education Service to undertake an inventory of available spaces such as dinning and assembly halls to be used as temporary classrooms while works to upgrade infrastructure at the schools to accommodate the new entrants went on.

He said the government had targeted 214 schools country-wide to upgrade their infrastructure to cope with the high rate of enrollment due to the brief introduction of the four year duration of the SHS.

Vice-President Mahama said the project, which involved construction of classroom blocks and dormitories, was 65 percent complete, adding that the remaining 35 percent would be completed in the next few months. He however urged the contractors on the projects to expedite work.