Government’s decision to scrap Teacher Trainees allowances has obviously left in its wake disquiet among teacher trainees and a cross-section of the populace.
Arguments put forward for the removal include: “(a) lack of government financial capacity to maintain the allowances, (b) the continuous payment of allowances to Teacher Trainees after Colleges of Education have been upgraded to tertiary institutions to award university degrees would amount to short-changing students in other tertiary institutions who rely on loans from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and other sources to support their education; (c) the need to save money to expand infrastructure in colleges of education to create space to train more teachers at full capacity.
Scrapping trainees’ allowances defeats the rationale for the institution of the allowances to attract people into the teaching profession thus creating more empty classrooms. It also takes away any form of authority of the GES to continue posting and bonding teachers upon graduation from college.
The trainee allowances must be restored because teacher trainees are a peculiar set of students with unique rules of engagement and needs. Whereas students in the universities and other institutions look for employment of their own choice on completion of their courses of studies, teacher trainees are bonded and posted to teach in places over which they have no control for a certain number of years whether they like it or not.
Addressing the issue of equity for tertiary education funding (in extreme circumstances) may require making provision for students in other tertiary institutions to enjoy allowances, not scrapping what is being received by the Teacher Trainees. After all, government officials continue to “earn” more than other public sector workers and nobody raises any point for the curtailment of their privileges. What is good for the goose is good for the gander!
PS:
This is a follow up on an earlier piece titled “Maintain Teacher Trainee Allowances” which was written around the time the discussion to scrap the allowances was emerging. You’ll find many similarities between the previous article and the current one: “Restore Teacher Trainee Allowances”…