Over 49,000 teachers to benefit from trainee allowance - Finance Minister

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has announced that the

He said the restoration of the allowances is part of government’s efforts aimed at providing quality education.

Presenting the 2018 economic policy of the government, he said "Government restored the Teacher Trainee Allowance covering over 49,000 teacher trainees from 41 public Colleges of Education for the 2017/18 academic year."

He added: " In addition, funds were released for the payment of outstanding Feeding Grant to all public Colleges of Education for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 academic years. In the 2018/19 academic year, a projected number of over 52,000 Teacher Trainees will benefit from the allowance."

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Teacher trainees allowance

About 45,000 teacher trainees in 41 public colleges of education are expected to receive GH¢204 each as monthly allowance from the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF).

Although each student is entitled to GH¢400, part of that — GH¢196 — will go directly to the colleges to pay for trainees’ utilities and feeding.

The amount is, however, GH¢248 less than the GH¢452 the trainees were receiving after deductions before the allowance was scrapped in the 2013/2014 academic year by the previous government.The figure means that each trainee will receive GH¢816 directly per semester (given that a semester is four months), while the government will spend GH¢144 million per academic year.

In total, the government is expected to spend at least GH¢18 million monthly on the projected number of students, with GH¢9.18 million of the amount going to the trainees in monthly allowances, while GH¢8.82 million goes to the colleges for feeding and the payment of utilities.