...to replace research and book allowance

The Ministry of Education through the National Council for Tertiary Education has set aside GH¢15million toward the establishment of a Research and Innovation Facility.

This, according to the Finance Minister Seth Terkper, is to replace the existing system paying the book and research allowance, and to encourage more research work in tertiary institutions.

It is in recognition of the importance of research in teaching and learning in all higher institutions of education.

“The Ministry is to develop guidelines for operationising the facility, while engaging stakeholders on exploring other sources of making the facility sustainable,” he said.

The Finance Minister made this statement in Parliament when presenting the 2014 budget last week.

In August this year, government decided to scrap the research and book allowance -- which angered teachers in public tertiary institutions and provoked them to embark on a strike.

They also demanded payment of their book allowances, usually paid at the beginning of an academic year, and the correction of an anomaly in the book allowance paid to polytechnic lecturers and university lecturers.

The lecturers went on strike again, demanding book and research allowances, after the release of the market premium arrears of GH¢25million to be paid to them.

On September 5, the government agreed with the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to pay the allowances due the university lecturers since 2012.

SHS enrolment

In pursuance of the Ministry of Education’s mandate to ensure increased access to second cycle education, the Minister said subsidy was provided for 736,919 Senior High School (SHS) students and 55,147 Technical/Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students in 2013.

“To ensure adequate provision of infrastructure to increase access to SHS enrolment, the ministry completed 75 6-unit classroom blocks while 45 2-storey emergency dormitory blocks were completed and handed over. The remaining 86 classroom blocks and 10 dormitory blocks are at various stages of completion.”

He said in 2014, the Ministry will increase enrolment levels at SHS from 770,925 to 786,344 and from 32,833 to 33,490 in TVET. This will be achieved through interventions such as provision of subsidies for over 780,000 SHS students and 33,000 TVET students.

Only 60 percent of Junior High School graduates are absorbed annually into the country‘s second-cycle institutions. In a bid to increase access to secondary education, the MoE will commence the construction of 200 community day-SHSs in 2014.

According to the Finance Minister, the beneficiary districts have been identified and the procurement of contractors and consultants for the construction of the first 50 schools is on-going. In addition, he said, the MoE will complete the remaining 10 2-storey dormitory blocks and 60 6-unit classroom blocks under the Quick Fix Project.