Govt rises teachers continous professional development allowance
The continuous professional development allowance for professional and non-professional teachers in pre-tertiary schools has been increased by the government, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Kwasi Kwarteng has said.
In a social media post sighted by Pretertiary.com, a spokesman for the Education Ministry said the continuous professional development allowance for professional teachers has been increased from GH¢1,200 to GH¢2,400 annually.
For non-professional teachers in various government schools across the country, the Public Relations Officer for the Ministry in Charge of Education said their allowance has been raised from GH¢800 to GH¢1,800 annually.
Paid in September, Kwasi Kwarteng said “The CPD allowance for professional teachers has been increased from GH¢1,200 to GH¢2,400 annually. Non-professional teachers will see their allowance raised from GH¢800 to GH¢1,800.
These enhancements reflect the government’s ongoing commitment to supporting teachers in pursuing professional development and skills upgrades, ensuring they have modern skills and knowledge to deliver effective teaching.”
The Continuous Professional Development (CPD) allowance was introduced in 2020 by the Government of Ghana (GoG) as part of efforts to enhance the professional growth of teachers and improve the quality of education.
It provides financial support to professional and non-professional teachers in pre-tertiary schools to engage in ongoing training, acquire new teaching methodologies, and upgrade their skills.
In an address to Parliament, the then Education Minister, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh said this allowance “will enable teachers to invest in improving and upgrading their skills and keeping abreast with modern trends to assist in improving learning outcomes.”
The former Minister of Education said the government approved the critical support allowance to cover teachers and Educational Workers’ Union members who have been excluded from allowance schemes for the past eight years.
Reacting to the CPD allowance, the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu said “It is very welcome to us. It is part of the negotiated conditions of service that we are about to sign with the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service.”
Commenting on the variance in the allowance for professional and non-professional teachers, the NAGRAT leader noted that the division was because the Service would no longer be recruiting non-professional services.
“They took into consideration the professional requirements and expectations of a professional teacher in renewing your license. They took that into consideration to calculate how much each person will get,” he explained further.
Speaking on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News show monitored by Pretertiary.com, Mr Angel Carbonu also said teachers had put in place measures to ensure there is no disappointment from the government as has been seen over the years.
“What we have insisted is that it should be paid through the Controller and Accountant General. It should not go through any regional or district office education. It should also not be sent to any school to be paid to the teacher,” he noted.