Scrap wasteful teacher trainee allowances – EduWatch to gov’t

The Executive Director of the Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has described the payment of allowances to trainees at the Colleges of Education as a wasteful expenditure that must be scrapped with immediate effect.

Mr Asare said if the government intends to deliver on its 2023 budget policy then some wasteful expenditures must be cut.

According to him, the government is spending far more on Senior High Education to the detriment of basic education, a situation that creates a lacuna in basic school development.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion organized by the Citizen’s Coalition in Accra, Mr Asare noted that, much of the expenses done in the Education sector must be reconsidered taking into account the poor implementation and deficiencies that are impacting negatively the quality of education in Ghana.

“I think the budget failed to appreciate that there is a certain wasteful expenditure that should leave the education space, especially teacher trainee allowance. The government has repeated that it intends to spend 241 in 2023 to feed adult trainees who are in tertiary education and have the right to access student loans just like other tertiary students.

“In austerity, the government must be cutting down on wasteful expenditure and spending more on the vulnerable, we also don’t see more enhanced spending on Free compulsory basic education,” Mr Asare said.

Meanwhile, the Africa Education Watch has petitioned Parliament to reject the allocation of GH¢1.8 billion made to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), a major education infrastructure financing facility in Ghana.

“The sharp decline in the 2023 allocation raises serious concern about the formula used in capping the GETFund in the 2023 budget, and whether it is in accordance with the Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Law.

“Going by the 25% capping under the Earmarked Funds Capping and Realignment Act, 2017 (Act 947) and the history of allocations in line with the same, we estimate that, at least GHC 2.7 billion, representing 60% of the total 2022 GETFund Levy accruals of GHC 4.6 billion should be allocated to the GETFund for 2023.”

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