POTAG gives government ultimatum on book and research allowance
The Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) has issued an ultimatum to the government to call a proper stakeholder conference on the nagging issue of book and research allowance in January next year.
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That, it said, would help avert developments that might lead to distortions in the academic calendar of the polytechnics.
The association said the government’s attempt to replace the book and research allowance with a research fund was premature, misplaced and calamitous.
According to it, there was a serious misunderstanding of the concepts of book and research allowance by the government.
The association gave the ultimatum in a release it issued at the end of its delegates’ conference in Ho on Thursday.
Signed by the General Secretary of POTAG, Mr Oswald Atiga, it explained that the book and research allowance was part of POTAG’s negotiated conditions of service.
In August this year, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, indicated the intention of the government to abolish the current book and research allowance being enjoyed by university lecturers.
He said the government was considering merging all the research allowances into one, to be known as the National Research Fund.
Every lecturer is paid between $400 and $600 a year as book and research allowance.
The government spends $7 million yearly on book and research allowance.
Resistance
But the polytechnic teachers vowed to resist attempts by the government to make them worse off through what the release called hasty, premature and desperate efforts to cut down costs.
“That POTAG is prepared legally, physically, psychologically and even spiritually to resist the government and any of its agencies which will attempt to make its members worse off,” it said.
It said the allowance was negotiated for and agreed upon and, therefore, no single party could unilaterally take it off.
Rescind decision
The polytechnic teachers said they had been patient, reasonable and realistic in their demands for better conditions of service but the government was rather lumping two different items to mean one and same.
“We have always strived to engage stakeholders on all issues and, therefore, have a difficulty in understanding why the government is not doing same on this matter,” the release said.
It expressed the hope that the Minister of Education, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, understood and appreciated the position of POTAG on the matter and would explain the issue to the government to make it rescind its decision immediately.
“We are of the conviction that the government will listen and act appropriately to avert another nine months or longer standstill of tertiary education and research activities in this country,” it said.
The polytechnic teachers called on the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) to engage the government to rescind its decision on the matter to avert any potentially prolonged academic calendars.