Former President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to the Akufo-Addo government to pay the teacher and nurses allowance.
The 2024 Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress made the appeal on the back of a clarion call made by teacher and nursing trainees in Yendi on the first day of his Building Ghana tour of the northern region.
The NDC Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) expressing their frustrations about the non payment of the allowance said it is a matter of great concern for students and young professionals alike who rely on the allowance to support themselves financially.
“The non-payment of allowances is an issue that cannot be overlooked. It does not only create financial hardship for those affected individuals but also hinders their ability to pursue education or engage in professional activities effectively.”
They added, “We cannot ignore the fact that many students depend on these allowances to cover their basic needs such as accommodation, textbooks and other living expenses.”
Responding to the demand of the students, the NDC flagbearer said he could only appeal to the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government to pay the allowance.
However, Mr. Mahama failed to mention whether or not the next NDC government will maintain the payment of the allowance.
“…We constructed more CHPS compounds, we were building new community day senior high schools and so I suggested we going to substitute the allawa with students loan scheme but unfortunately our opponent said they can pay the allowance and I know a lot of you voted against because we substituted the allowance with the students loan scheme” he recounted.
He justified that the students loan policy was more sustainable than the allowance, stating that the reality is that we’ve upgraded most of your institutions to tertiary institutions and si for equity seek we said let’s put all our students on students loan and you only pay back when you get a job after school.
Mr. Mahama also assured that the next NDC administration will reversed the teacher licensure examination but will ensure it is incorporated into the final year test examination.
