Ghana: "....abolishing teacher and nursing training allowances is a mistake... Nana Addo will correct.” – Bawumia

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, New Patriotic Party's (NPP) running mate, says his party’s resolve to restore allowances to teacher and nursing trainees is non-negotiable. According to him, the party will restore the allowances first thing in 2017 if they are elected into power.
“There is one assurance I want to leave you…we will restore teacher and nursing training allowances. For us, this is non-negotiable. It is a priority as a government of Nana Addo-Dunkwa Akufo-Addo and in the very first budget in the year 2017, we will restore teacher and nursing training allowances,” Dr. Bawumia added.

The NPP on its campaign trail has promised to restore the allowances which have been scrapped under President Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration. Government has scrapped the allowance system and urged the trainees to access the student loan scheme. According to government, the allowance has outlived its usefulness and has also curtailed enrollment which has now improved since it was scrapped.

 There have been several student protests to get the allowance restored, but government has insisted on maintaining the new policy. But the NPP has argued the policy is not friendly and will only burden trainees. They believe government only took the decision because it needs money, after mismanaging the country’s resources.

Speaking to students of the St. Francis College of Education in Hohoe in the Volta Region, Dr. Bawumia said the NPP will bring back the allowances. Bawumia told the students that “this policy of abolishing teacher and nursing training allowances is a mistake; it’s is a mistake that Nana Addo Dunkwa Akufo Addo will correct.”