The long-standing practice of providing allowances to teacher trainees may soon be a thing of the past.
Following the recent upgrade of training colleges into degree-awarding Colleges of Education, coupled with the demands of tutors (CETAG) that have led to their industrial action, experts are calling for the cancellation of these allowances and the implementation of a student loan system similar to that used by university students.
Dr. Peter Anti Partey, a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, argued during an interview on TV3’s New Day monitored by Coleman Publications that the allowances have served their purpose.
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“The initial reason for the allowances was to attract more students to the training colleges,” he explained. “However, with the colleges now offering degree programs, the rationale for these allowances is no longer relevant.”
Dr. Partey emphasized that the recent demand by the Colleges of Education Teachers’ Association of Ghana (CETAG) for university-level pay for tutors aligns with the need for a more unified approach to education.
He believes that the government should scrap the allowances and make student loans available to trainee teachers, creating a more equitable system for all tertiary students.
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Echoing Dr. Partey’s sentiments, Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of Education Watch, sees the trainee allowance as a wasteful expenditure of state resources.
He believes that the focus should shift to providing access to quality education through a robust student loan system.
With the said ongoing migration of college tutors to the university salary structure, the abolition of trainee allowances seems increasingly likely.
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This shift in policy could usher in a new era for teacher education in Ghana, aligning the Colleges of Education more closely with the university system and potentially attracting a wider range of students.