MoE dismisses reports on ‘scrapping’ of teacher trainee allowances
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has refuted media claims indicating the central government intends to scrap teacher trainee allowances. In a statement sighted by Pretertiary.com, MoE described such reports as misleading.
The Ministry’s rebuttal follows the Daily Graphic report that the government in the interim will maintain the teacher trainees allowance but intends to phase the allowance system out gradually and replace it with an enhanced student loan scheme.
“There is no way you should be feeding a student at the tertiary level. We can narrow feeding to basic and free senior high schools but at the tertiary level, students should be able to take care of themselves.
In the interim, we will continue with the feeding allowances but we will transition to an enhanced student loan system,” the Daily Graphic newspaper quoted the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu.
According to Graphic newspaper, the Education Minister said this when he met with the leadership of the Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education, Ghana (PRINCOF) in Accra last Thursday.
Graphic reported that Mr Iddrisu stated that the student loan scheme would operate alongside the allowance system for a short period to give students the option to choose before the full transition took place.
“The loan scheme will run parallel with the allowances initially, but we will eventually adopt the standard practice in all tertiary institutions, where students rely on loans instead of direct allowances,” Haruna Iddrisu reportedly stated.
But in a press release dated February 4, 2025, the Ministry in Charge of Education addressed a front-page publication by The Daily Graphic, which carried the headline “Teacher Trainee Allowance to Go.”
The Ministry of Education stated that the newspaper’s report was inaccurate and did not reflect the actual remarks of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu.
According to the Ministry, the Education Minister, during a meeting with the Executives of the Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF), reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting students in Colleges of Education. He stated that the government is open to exploring ways to enhance financial assistance for teacher trainees.
The statement further explained that while an improved student loan scheme may be considered in the future, the government will maintain the allowances until a firm agreement is reached with all stakeholders.
“We urge The Daily Graphic to correct the wrong impression created and to give this rejoinder the same prominence as its earlier publication,” the Ministry of Education (MoE) stated.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has therefore encouraged media houses in the country to verify information before publication to avoid creating unnecessary concerns among stakeholders.
