Govt settles arrears of lecturers

The government has paid university and polytechnic lecturers their book and research allowances which were in arrears.

A deputy minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who announced this at a news conference in Accra yesterday, said the money would be paid in full because the processes for the payment of the arrears had been completed.

Some heads of polytechnics and universities, he said, had started taking their money, adding, “We can say in confidence that the book and research allowances have been paid in full.”

Background

On August 1, 2013, lecturers in public universities began a strike to back their demand for the payment of all interim market premium arrears for 2012 and 2013 owed them by the government.

They also demanded the payment of their book allowances, usually paid at the beginning of an academic year, and the correction of an anomaly in the book allowance paid to polytechnic lecturers and university lecturers.

After the government released the market premium arrears of GH¢25 million to be paid to the lecturers, they went on strike again, demanding book and research allowances.

On September 5, the government agreed with the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to pay the allowances due the university lecturers since 2012.

The government further committed itself to pay university lecturers the difference between their allowances and those of lecturers in other analogous tertiary institutions, using the internally generated funds (IGF) of the universities.

Placements

Touching on the placement of BECE candidates in senior high schools, Mr Ablakwa said it was ongoing.

He said all candidates would get their placement by the end of the process.

Donations

Meanwhile, five institutions have presented various items towards the National Best Teacher Award in Accra.

They include the Rlg Foundation, which presented a saloon car, a desktop computer, a laptop and a printer, all valued at GH¢50,000; Fidelity Bank, a cheque for GH¢2,000; Afram Publications Ghana Limited, a cheque for GH¢12,000 and books worth GH¢20,000,

Others are SIC Life Company Limited, 24 double-door fridges, over a hundred ‘T’ shirts and life cover insurance for the overall best three teachers, and Vidya Book Stall, which donated textbooks worth GH¢₡6,000.

By Salome Appiah/Daily Graphic/Ghana