Trainee teachers call for halt to deduction from allowance

Accra, Feb.16 GNA- The National Executive Board of the Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) on Monday called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to halt the deduction of feeding grants of trainees from their 'mentee' allowances.

A press statement issued by TTAG in Accra on Monday said: " This traumatic situation is causing innumerable inconveniences to trainers so much so that instead of thinking of ways of improving upon their professional competence they rather think of when the deducted fees would be refunded."

The statement signed by McBrian Bruce Senanu, Secretary of TTAG, explained that the authorities of the Teacher Training Colleges instituted the subtraction of monies from the men tee allowances, since it was difficult to collect the sum from final year students when they returned to school in the third term.

"While appealing for a long-term solution to be found to the problem, let me state that the present final year students will be doing less number of weeks on their return to campus as compared to the previous year, hence it is appropriate to have the deductions stopped."

The statement said with just a fraction of their allowances, final year students, feed on; pay utility bills, prepare Teaching Learning Materials and have to travel to and from their respective colleges to submit stages of their Action Research Work for vetting. It said, although the deducted sums of money are refunded a month later, it often led to indebtedness to "creditors who are always on their throats".

Mrs Margaret Benneh, Director of Teacher Education Division, who reacted to the statement in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said if the deduction was creating inconveniences to TTAG, the issue could be resolved with the Accountant-General's Department. She said Training Colleges receive monies allocated to them late, hence, the delay in refund.

Mrs Benneh said Heads of the Teacher Training Colleges could attest the veracity of her explanation.

" TTAG should have discussed the issue with the GES first to seek clarification instead of rushing to the media."