Restore our allowance - Teacher trainees tell Mahama

Concerned Teacher Trainees has asked the Mahama led government to restore their allowance just as he has done to the Nursing Training Colleges or risk loosing their votes in the coming elections on December 7.

According to a statement released the Teacher Trainees said "The Mahama led NDC government has shown gross disrespect to teacher trainees and teaching as a profession."

It continued that "Now that the government has promised to restore nursing training allowance, it means the state has money so we expect the government to restore teacher training allowance too and also, pay the unpaid teachers."

"To our colleagues, the government's failure to restore our allowance will mean that the President Mahama's government has no respect for us hence we will have no option than to vote against them.

"Let's prepare to vote against President Mahama if he fails to restore our allowance," the statement concluded.

A Technical Committee set up by the President to review the issue of nursing students' allowances recommended the payment of an abated allowance with a possibility to migrate them onto the Students Loan Scheme.

The payment which will amount to about GHC 150 a month is aimed at supporting 34,500 students who are currently pursuing various levels of health professional training across the country.

The payment amount would serve as a bridging mechanism pending the amendment of the Students Loan Trust Act, to enable students in non-tertiary Health Training Institutions access loans to support their education.

Minister of Health, Alex Segbefia released the statement indicating that the payment of the allowance is to support the students.

Read below the full statement of the Concerned Teacher Trainees:

"If you won't stay on campus and be trained as teachers without the trainees allowance, pack your things and leave. We (NDC) don't need your votes, you can vote against us. We don't care" - Mr. Asiedu Nketia NDC General Secretary.

The Mahama led NDC government has shown gross disrespect to teacher trainees and teaching as a profession.

It is not surprising that some teachers always have their salaries delays or not paid for several months and for that matter, leading to the poor performance of public sector education.

It is quiet surprising also that we have a sector minister who happens to be a former University Vice Chancellor.

It is over a year since the General Secretary of the NDC - Mr. Asiedu Nketia made the above quoted statement and most of us were looking forward to him to render an apology to us which never happened.

The Mahama led NDC government cancelled the teacher trainees allowance on ground of increasing admission. Although, the reason given by the government was not tangible, we consoled ourselves with the cancellation of the Nursing Trainees Allowance because every training school is a training school and besides, no profession is better than the other.

On 21st July, we came across a statement from the government that Nursing Training allowance has been restored. Though the amount has been reduced to Gh¢150 per month.

We are therefore asking the government as to when will teacher training allowance also be restored? Or the NDC government deems nursing training much more relevant than teachers training?

Even if the restoration of the nursing training allowance is for political expediency, we equally have votes.

It is worthy to note that the cancellation of teachers training allowance has brought an untold hardship on most of us especially those coming from less privilege homes.

Also, the cancellation of the allowance has forced some brilliant students who were interested to attend the training college to divert their attentions to the polytechnics and universities.

The government must restore our allowance. Nursing training is not relevant than teachers training. Every profession is relevant to the state.

Now that the government has promised to restore nursing training allowance, it means the state has money so we expect the government to restore teacher training allowance too and also, pay the unpaid teachers.

To our colleagues, the government's failure to restore our allowance will mean that the President Mahama's government has no respect for us hence we will have no option than to vote against them.

Let's prepare to vote against President Mahama if he fails to restore our allowance.

.............Signed..............