GH¢41m CETAG book, research allowance arrears ready — Haruna Iddrisu
The government is processing the release of GH¢41 million to pay book and research allowances owed to members of the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) for the 2023/2024 academic year.
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, who disclosed this at the weekend, said the payment would be effected this week in order to restore normal academic work by Monday.
“We will pay you, and we will pay you within the next one week.
By February 9, normal academic work should be restored in all colleges of education throughout the country,” Mr Iddrisu stated.
Congregation
Mr Iddrisu made the announcement at the 14th congregation and 96th anniversary celebration of St John Bosco’s College of Education in Navrongo in the Upper East Region last weekend. In all, 581 students graduated.
The Education Minister assured the striking lecturers that the payment would be effected within one week, urging them to resume work by February 9, 2026.
CETAG has been on strike since November 24, last year, demanding the full implementation of the National Labour Commission’s (NLC) May 2023 arbitral award, particularly the payment of book and research allowances.
Appeal
Mr Iddrisu appealed to the lecturers to consider the toll of the industrial action on students and the academic calendar, stressing the need for stability in teacher training institutions.
“We should not get to a point of conflict over unpaid book and research allowance.
Let us maintain a serene academic environment so that our children can learn,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu stated that the government had already demonstrated good faith by clearing arrears inherited from previous years, saying the current delay was purely administrative.
“This payment is now between the Controller and Accountant General and your bank accounts.
Why would you hold students to ransom when the process is ongoing?” he asked.
Academic freedom
Reaffirming the government’s respect for academic freedom, Mr Iddrisu stressed that sustained disruptions in colleges of education undermined teacher quality and, by extension, national development.
“The quality of the student is a direct function of the quality of the teacher.
That is why restoring academic normalcy is non-negotiable,” he pointed out.
Mr Iddrisu appealed to CETAG to call off the strike immediately, assuring members that the promised funds would be paid before colleges reopened.
He also assured CETAG that once the payment was made, it would effectively address the outstanding issues arising from the NLC arbitral award.
Commitments
Beyond the strike, the Minister of Education announced plans to reconstitute and swear in the Governing Council of St John Bosco’s College of Education by Tuesday, February 10, this year following consultations with the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Catholic Church, which established the institution.
Mr Iddrisu disclosed that the government, through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), would soon distribute buses to selected educational institutions to ease student transportation challenges, while infrastructure development in colleges of education would be expanded through public-private partnerships.
Again, the government was considering a major policy shift to decentralise the recruitment, posting and sanctioning of teachers from the central government to metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs).
He explained that the move, directed by President John Dramani Mahama, was intended to strengthen decentralisation and enable local authorities to respond more quickly to the staffing needs of schools, particularly in underserved and hard-to-reach communities.
Quoting the President, Mr Iddrisu said it was no longer tenable for district assemblies to wait for central approval before addressing teacher shortages, adding that the proposed reform would make teacher recruitment a primary responsibility of district assemblies within a revised decentralisation framework.
He added that the policy discussions were being undertaken alongside proposals to increase the District Assemblies Common Fund from five per cent to 7.5 per cent, subject to Cabinet and policy approval, with additional allocations earmarked to support decentralised education and health services.
The Principal of the college, Professor Clement Ayarebilla Ali, appealed to the government and key stakeholders to help to urgently address the college’s infrastructural challenges, warning that inadequate facilities posed a threat to effective teaching, learning and the welfare of staff and students.
He said accommodation had become a major concern, adding that some lecturers still occupied bungalows constructed as far back as 1946, which were no longer fit for purpose.
Prof. Ali added that rising female enrolment in the school had forced the college to convert classrooms and old blocks into hostels under difficult conditions.
He acknowledged recent government support, including the provision of a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, the construction of a modern auditorium, a new toilet facility, and progress on a 300-metre perimeter wall, but stressed the need for additional housing for staff, offices and student accommodation to sustain academic delivery.
