Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has made a pledge to introduce a 20% allowance for rural teachers if he is elected back into office.
This proposed basic allowance is intended to incentivize teachers to work in rural areas, addressing the shortage of educators in certain communities.
During a town hall meeting in the Western Region, John Mahama expressed his full commitment to addressing the challenges associated with the successful implementation of this allowance.
In response to concerns raised by teachers from the Ahanta West District, he highlighted the importance of categorizing both rural and urban areas to determine which teachers would be eligible for the allowance.
He acknowledged the complexity of this task, stating, “in Takoradi here, there are some villages within the city. Where will you categorize that? All of these would have to be considered. We will sit with you to address this.”
The former President acknowledged that a significant challenge in implementing the proposed policy lies in accurately categorizing rural communities deserving of the teacher allowance.
Simultaneously, private school owners expressed dissatisfaction, perceiving unfair advantages given to public school examinations.
In response to these concerns, Mr. Mahama expressed his commitment to investigating the issues raised by private school owners and proposing suitable solutions to address the challenges faced by rural areas.
He emphasized that the NDC government is dedicated to conducting a comprehensive review of the free senior high school policy. This review will involve engaging stakeholders such as parents, teachers, educationists, and students to ensure a thorough assessment and potential improvements to the existing educational policies.
“We will have a stakeholder consultation to examine the challenges with the policy and address them. For instance, due to an infrastructure deficit, the school operates on a shift system.
“Currently, some students are at home and will return to school in March. After such a long break, how do they retain what they were taught?” Mahama questioned.