In 2020, the government of Ghana introduced the professional allowance for teachers to enable them to upgrade themselves professionally by attending continuous professional development and PLC. It was also meant to improve the quality of education which was the main agenda of the government. This professional allowance was successfully paid as stated by the government in November 2020 to these teachers. Teachers have been anticipating with the intention that these allowances will be paid to them every month but the month of January 2021 has passed by and this allowance was not part of teachers’ salary.
Our checks have revealed that the government has decided to accumulate this professional allowance that is meant for teachers to upgrade themselves professionally to be paid in a particular month which has not been known yet by the teachers. The fact is that if this allowance is to help teachers to attend continuous professional development meeting, course and seminars why not government giving this money to teachers every month because teachers do not know the exact month that is designated for attending professional studies, that means that every month is eligible for teachers to attend professional workshops and if that month comes and a teacher is not having money to attend meaning he or she will have to borrow, which educegh.com thinks is worrying. Since the government has decided to pay all this money in a particular month it can happen that the country might be in a financial crisis which means the government might not able to pay making this allowance to be in arrears.
The various teacher unions that are GNAT, NAGRAT, and CCT-GH have not also come Clear on this matter, our checks show that none of the teacher unions have made an attempt to clarify issues about this professional allowance to teachers, which means that they are relax waiting for the time things will become tight, then they will now get to follow up. Educegh.com wants teacher unions to come clear about the professional allowance that is meant for teachers so as to help their members know their stand about this issue.
Educegh.com has source a statement from a reliable source which indicates that this professional allowance that is meant for teachers has no parliament backing which means that this government can decide not to pay it or even if it pays but a successive government can decide not to pay. Educegh.com wants stakeholders involved to try and let this teacher professional allowance get parliamentary backing so that teacher’s professional allowance will not be in arrears.
The initiative was a brilliant agenda that the government instituted for teachers and it will surely improve the quality of education if this government and successful government can maintain and be paying this professional allowance on time to our teachers.
Nice piece