Critics are lambasting the government for annually allocating over GHC 1 billion towards Teacher Trainee Allowances, branding it a wasteful political endeavor.
The funds, they argue, could have been more effectively utilized to address the critical issue of teacher shortages by employing and paying the salaries of approximately 4,000 teachers annually.
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Kofi Asare, the Chief Executive Officer of Eduwatch, expressed his concerns, stating, “Fact is, between 2020 and 2024, over GHC 1 billion was invested in Teacher Trainees’ Allowances, a wasteful political policy amid a beneficial guarantor-free student loan scheme where your Ghana Card is the only requirement for access.”
Highlighting the opportunity cost of the allocation, Asare emphasized that the amount spent on funding teacher trainee allowances is sourced from the salary budget of the Ministry of Education, underscoring that it could have been redirected towards teacher recruitment instead.
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“For your education, the amount spent in funding teacher trainees’ allowances is part of the salary budget of the Ministry of Education. It is not manna from heaven. It has an opportunity cost”, he noted.
He questioned the decision to prioritize teacher trainee allowances over the recruitment and payment of salaries for qualified teachers.
“For those in school, anytime you eat free, remember the opportunity cost is 4,000 teachers’ recruitment forgone”
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He concluded by asking trainees if they are willing to forgo the allowances and instead request that the allocated funds be added to the yearly recruitment budget.
“Are you selfless enough to ask them to cancel the ‘allawa’, add the amount to your recruitment budget each year, and grant you access to an improved student loan scheme?” he asked
Currently, teacher trainees across public colleges of education have not received their allowances for the first semester of the 2023/2024 academic year.
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It remains to be seen how the government will respond to the growing criticism and address the concerns raised by these critics regarding the allocation of funds in the education sector.