Mahama promises to prioritise accommodation for teachers in under-served areas
The 2024 flagbearer of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama has given the surest indication that his government will prioritize investment in educational infrastructure, especially accommodation for teachers in under-served communities if re-elected.
Outdooring the party’s youth manifesto in Accra on Monday August 12, 2024, the former president bemoaned the wide teacher deficit in the country, promising to address the situation through committed and prudent intervention.
Education in Ghana is fraught with several setbacks
Government’s investment in the education sector over the years has been criticized by stakeholders as they hold the view that investment in the sector does not reflect in the generality of improvement in educational infrastructure in the country.
The situation is evident in schools in rural communities. Not all teachers are willing to accept postings to these areas to render tuition services due to the absence of accommodation there.
Teachers filled with passion and have accepted postings to impart the next crop of children of school going age in hard-to-reach communities are compelled to inhabit deplorable accommodations with defective roofing.
The situation often exposes them to vulnerabilities which sometimes force them to retreat, creating huge teacher deficit in those schools.
The situation coupled with the absence of teaching and learning materials has been debilitating against the progress of many basic schools. But hope beckons as the National Democratic Congress, NDC captures for implementation in its 2024 youth policy document, investment in rural teacher accommodation.
Former president John Dramani Mahama is confident that the intervention will retain teachers’ interest in under-served communities.
He said the John and Jane government in 2025 will prioritize investment in teachers’ accommodation so we can have more teachers in the under-served communities to teach our younger ones.
The youth manifesto was also loud on the implementation of an allowance package for teachers who accept postings to rural communities.
The Ghana National Association of teachers GNAT, the National Association of Graduate Teachers, NAGRAT, Coalition of Concern Teachers CCT and the other teacher unions are currently at the negotiation table to impress upon the Ghana Education Service to implement a 20% rural-teacher allowance as part of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
In 2009, the Ghana Education Service failed to implement the allowance even though, it was agreed upon by all parties for implementation.
But former president John Mahama has given the assurance that the allowance will be implemented in 2025 as a measure to address the widespread phenomenon of teacher deficit in the hinterlands.
Also in the same sector, the 2024 presidential candidate of the NDC promised to complete all e-block community day school projects that have been deserted by the current administration and are rotting away.
The party ahead of the December 7 elections, is seeking the mandate of the electorates to actualize its vision of making Ghana a better place for all, especially those who have the intent to seeking greener pastures abroad.
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