The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has petitioned the Presidency against the Ministry of Finance’s directive to discontinue the payment of the Professional Allowance for Teachers once they were rolled into the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).
The Association said the petition was necessary because that was the only allowance enjoyed by professional teachers as against many allowances enjoyed by other organisations in the public sector.
Mr. Paul Apanga, National President of GNAT, said this at a meeting with members of GNAT in Wa on Wednesday.
The national officers of GNAT are on tour of the Upper West Region to share and exchange ideas as well as build consensus on issues boarding on the welfare of its members.
Mr. Apanga suggested that a new name be given to the Professional Allowance for Teachers and placed under the Category Two Allowances pending the standardization and harmonization of Categories Two and Three Allowances.
“It will interest you to know that some institutions are moving onto the SSSS with allowances they receive which are classified as Category Two Allowances. But teachers in the Ghana Education Service have none of these allowances to migrate onto the SSSS,” Mr. Apanga said.
He said many graduates from the universities prefer to stay at home unemployed to joining the Ghana Education Service and that about 60,000 classrooms were without teachers due to poor salaries and working conditions.
“As a nation, if we are serious about promoting quality education, teachers should be the last group of professionals to be made to feel unimportant”, Mr. Apanga said.
Mr. Apanga said GNAT wished to commend government for ensuring that the Professional Allowance was paid to Professional Teachers and appealed for the retention of the said allowance under the new salary regime.
Other allowances such as Difficult Area Allowance for Teachers in underserved areas, Special Allowance for Teachers who aere qualified and teach Science, Mathematic and Vocational and Technical as well as Information Communication and Technology subjects had been deferred till the harmonization and standardization of allowances in the Public Service are concluded.