Final year teacher trainees cry for allowance

Some teacher trainees have bemoaned the scrapping of their allowances at all levels without any measure to cater for final year students who are out of school doing their out segment known as teaching practice.

The final year teacher trainees said products of every institution are put on the national service scheme and given some allowance each month but products from public teacher training colleges take nothing while on their out segment.

In a statement, the final year students, who call themselves Aggrieved Teacher Trainees (Final Year Students), accused their associations – GNAT, NAGRAT and CCT – as being selfish and not having their interest at heart.

They threatened to form another association which will absorb all trainees each year.

Below is the full statement:

PRESS RELEASE TO ALL MEDIA HOUSES

AGGRIEVED TEACHER TRAINEES (FINAL YEAR STUDENTS)

The Government of Ghana scrapped the allowances of teacher trainees at all levels without putting any measures in place to cater for final year students who will be doing their out segment (teaching practice) each year. Now, as we are speaking, teacher trainees started their out segment for the 2015/2016 academic year on October, 2015 and up to date we have not even filled any form which will console us with the hope that we will be given something.

The most painful aspect is that a trainee will rent a house, pay utility bills, take care of other expenditures and also buy teaching and learning materials with his/her own toiled for money. Whereas the products of every institution that do out segment (National Service) are put on the National Service Scheme (NSS) and are given some amount each month. Even with private training colleges, like Jackson College of Education, their products are put on the National Service Scheme while those from the public teacher training colleges take nothing.

The Government of Ghana claims to have substituted the allowances with feeding fee and so feed trainees three times daily, so we want the stakeholders of teachers to know that we are doing our out segment (service). We do not stay on campus, so we do not benefit from the feeding grants.

And for the various associations of teachers in the country – GNAT, NAGRAT and CCT, the selfish associations who cannot unify themselves – you care less about the trainees. You only care about the welfare of the current members whom you ascertain subscription from. Do not dare entreat any of our members to join your associations or start deducting any of our members when we are stationed at our various posts. Since you are not fighting for Teacher Training Colleges, you should hope for the rise of another association which will absorb all trainees each year.

We are writing this to notify all the stakeholders of teacher education to know how teacher trainees rendering service to the nation are suffering outside.

Thank you.

Signed
OPOKU BRIGHT
(MAMPONG TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION)

PAUL AGYEMANG SENYA
(MAMPONG TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION)

EVANS BOAKYE ASANTE
(WESLEY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION)