Pay car maintenance allowances to teachers - Minister

Accra, July 9, GNA - Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister of Education, on Thursday directed that District Directors of Education and Heads of Schools should pay approved responsibility and car maintenance allowances to teachers.

A statement signed by Mr Paul Kofi Krampa, Deputy Director, Head of Public Relations of the Ministry of Education, said the directive was given when the Minister held an emergency meeting with stakeholders in education.

They were representatives of Conference of District Directors of Education (CODDE), Ghana National Association of Teachers, Conference of Regional Directors of Education and Conference of Principals of Training Colleges.

The rest were the National Association of Graduate Teachers, Association of Principals of Technical Institutes and officials of the Ghana Education Service in his office in Accra. The statement said the meeting was called by the Minister following agitation by some teachers over an alleged slash in their responsibility and car maintenance allowances by some heads of educational institutions.

It stated that it became evident at the meeting that there was no official directive to the heads to reduce the allowances. The Minister therefore asked the district directors and heads of educational institutions who had paid reduced allowances to their teachers to pay the difference to them on receiving the next quarterly grant.

On the allegation that some teachers had been denied the opportunity of taking part in promotion interviews, Mr Tettey-Enyo asked the Secretary to the Ghana Education Service Council to come out with the budget to enable all eligible teachers to be interviewed for promotion.

He further advised the district directors to live above reproach and work diligently for the development of education. Among those present at the meeting was Mrs Benedicta Naana Biney, Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Mr Charles Otoo, the Financial Controller and Mrs Asiedua Addo-Yobo, Secretary to GES Council.