The National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) on Friday affirmed that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning has at August 2015, given approval for the payment of the 2014/2015 book and research allowance for Senior Members of the Tertiary Education Sector.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency also confirmed that the Ministry of Finance has also forwarded the letter of approval, which contained the exchange rate to the Ministry of Education for the payment process to kick-start.

The letter also requested the Auditor-General to audit the claims to enable the Ministry to authorise payment.

As at close of work on Thursday, October 22nd 2015, the NCTE had prepared institutional cheques for all the institutions concerned in the first and second batches.

According to the statement the 20 institutions were batched in accordance to the time the institutions submitted its audited claims to the NCTE for processing.

The statement said the Finance Officers of these institutions have been contacted and asked to come with official receipts to the NCTE to be submitted in return for the cheques.

The payment vouchers for the third and fourth batches comprising seven institutions have been submitted to the Ministry of Finance.

According to the statement, NCTE objective was to get it all settled with the outmost urgency.

The NCTE statement noted that it has at all times maintained close contact with executives of both the Polytechnic Teachers Association (POTAG) and University Teachers Association (UTAG), keeping them updated on the progress.

“The patience and the spirit of cooperation demonstrated by these bodies have been commendable and is deeply appreciated.

“The NCTE, as the principal regulatory and policy making body for tertiary education, will continue to proactively engage key stakeholders in the sector to create a relationship of trust and mutual respect necessary for the prevention of disputes or their speedy resolution when they do arise.

“We urge all concerned to continue to exercise restraint as we work towards the final settlement,” the statement said.