Sekondi, March 24, GNA The Western and Central Regional branches of the Teacher-Trainees Association of Ghana on Monday called on government to restore the teacher-trainee allowance as a matter of national importance.
The association made the call after a group of teacher-trainees went on a peaceful demonstration through the principal streets of Takoradi through the Paa Grant roundabout, the Takoradi Polytechnic Junction and the Effia-Nkwanta road to the Western Regional Coordinating Council at Sekondi, where a petition was presented to the Western Regional Deputy Minister, Mr Alfred Ekow Gyan.
The demonstration which took place under Police escort was nearly marred by a heavy down pour and some of the placards carried by the trainees read: Oh Mahama Why, If you can read, Thank a Teacher, We want our allowances rather than feeding fee.
Mr Mark Augustine Obboh, National General Secretary of the association, read out salient portions of the petition to the Deputy Regional Minister.
He intimated that scrapping the teacher trainee allowance would have adverse consequences on the academic work of would-be teachers explaining that the allowances played a major role in buying learning materials, paying for accommodation and other important needs for their out-station activities.
Mr Obboh added that the SSNIT loan was already over-burdened and that government decision to hook teacher- trainees onto the scheme was not laudable.
The General Secretary added that the last straw that broke the camels back was government announcement that even continuing students would not be given any allowance from June this year.
Mr Albert Gyan, the Deputy Minister spoke of policy interventions and strategies that had been adopted by government to manage the countrys resources.
However, he said, government would continue to dialogue with stakeholders and called on teacher-trainees to exercise restraint. GNA
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