The running mate to the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has dismissed claims that the John Mahama-led government canceled trainee teachers’ allowance.
According to Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the administration replaced the allowances with a loan fund to get more people into the schools.
“I will come to a sensitive subject which I think should be dead by now. We [NDC] never cancelled teacher trainees’ allowance. Cancelling means that you have something and I came to take it away from you.
She asked: “We gave one year notice to those who were coming that we were going to give you loans and added means. Today how much do you get and how much are they taking from you?”
She stressed that the replacement increased the enrollment of trainees in the various Schools of Colleges.
ALSO READ:
“The allowances were replaced with students’ loan for all trainees to enable the country produce more teachers to meet the high demand for teachers in the country,” she clarified while addressing tertiary students at Bolgatanga.
She added: “This is the last time I am going to talk about this because we never did that. You know very well that those who were on the loan scheme continued to enjoy it until they graduated. So we never took anything away from them.”
Meanwhile, she assured the incoming administration will be transparent and fair in its dealings with students.
“Those in the training schools are crying over fees. We will be open to you. We will be honest with you. We want you to know what you are coming into. We will not lure you through the door and then begin to tell you stories,” she noted.