Teacher training allowance: A policy reassessment

Ghana's educational landscape has undergone significant transformations since its independence, with teacher training playing a pivotal role in shaping the quality of education. 

Initially, teacher training in Ghana was closely linked to secondary schools, with training colleges often sharing the same compound.

However, as Ghana embarked on a rapid expansion in education in the 1960s, the demand for qualified teachers surged.

This necessitated a significant increase in the number of trained teachers, prompting the government to implement various interventions to boost enrolment in teacher training programmes and birth the teacher trainee allowance.

In recent times, the allowance has become a political battleground for the two main political parties, a tug of war between genuine support for trainees, the necessity and relevance of the allowance, and the tempting attraction of electoral gain.

While the policy's stated aim is to support the teaching profession by financially assisting trainees, its recent implementation has often been entangled with the machinations of political strategy.

The reintroduction of the allowance in 2017 by the NPP government, after its cancellation by the previous NDC administration, further fuels this suspicion.

Trainee allowance and admission trends

Before the cancellation of the allowance in 2014, colleges of education admitted an average of 9,000 trainees annually, producing at least 8,500 trained teachers each year (MOE-EMIS, 2013).

This period highlights the allowance's potential contribution to boosting teacher training enrolment and output.

However, subsequent years have presented a more nuanced picture. Despite the cancellation, admissions to colleges of education have seen significant increases.

For instance, the 2013/2014 academic year saw an enrolment of 33,526 trainees, which rose to 41,984 in 2015/2016, a 25 per cent increase.

Enrolment continued to climb, reaching 43,570 trainees in 2017/2018. These statistics challenge the assertion that allowances are the sole driver of enrolment.

Prior to 2014, assuming each student received a GH¢400 allowance, the government's expenditure would have been approximately GH¢3,600,000 based on the average admission numbers.
Projecting this cost onto the 2014 enrolment figures (without considering the subsequent increases), the expenditure would be approximately GH¢13,410,400.

This represents a significant increase, more than four times the amount spent when teacher training was arguably less attractive.

This raises crucial questions about the cost-effectiveness of the allowance as a recruitment strategy, especially when considering the rising enrolment figures even after its cancellation.

It can therefore not be said that the cancellation negatively impacted admissions since the available data largely contradicts this claim.

This evidence necessitates a re-evaluation of the allowance's primary purpose and its continued relevance.

Education infrastructure challenges

Ghana's basic education subsector faces a severe infrastructure deficit, including a shortage of over one million desks and more than 5,000 schools operating under trees, in sheds or dilapidated buildings.

While this is not the subsector's only challenge, it significantly impacts the working conditions of newly graduated teachers.

Furthermore, the colleges of education themselves face pressing challenges that demand attention. Poor and inadequate infrastructure, including dilapidated classrooms, insufficient accommodation, and limited access to resources, significantly hinder the quality of teacher training.

Addressing these infrastructural issues should be a priority for government investment. The 2022-2025 budget preparation guideline document indicates a total allocation of GH¢401.1 million for teacher and nursing trainee allowances in 2022.

A disaggregation of this figure reveals that teacher trainee allowances account for GH¢169.9 million, translating into 42.4 per cent.  

The average cost of constructing a simple six-unit classroom block with an office is approximately GH¢500,000.

This means that the equivalent of the monthly cost of teacher trainee allowances could fund the construction of two such classroom blocks per month. 

Conclusion

The entire country as well as teacher trainees should not swim against the tides by allowing themselves to be hook winged by the mere payment of trainee allowance.

And as such, a formal cost-benefit analysis should be conducted to compare the short and long-term impact of the trainee allowance against the potential benefits of investing the same funds in infrastructure improvements and teacher recruitment.

While I recommend the cancellation of the allowance, the rationale for cancellation and reallocating the funds should be communicated to all stakeholders, including teacher trainees, educators, and the entirety of Ghanaians.

Redirecting these funds towards infrastructure development could substantially alleviate the problem of inadequate facilities in basic schools and the colleges of education.

It is conceivable that repurposing the teacher trainee allowance in this way could significantly improve, if not entirely resolve, the infrastructure crisis plaguing the basic education subsector.

The writer is Education Specialist 
Lead, African Foundation for Educational Development