The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has announced that Government, through the Ministry of Education, has released an amount of GH₵67,942,652 to the Colleges of Education to cater for the feeding of teacher-trainees.
He made this disclosure yesterday in a press conference to respond to the concerns of National Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF).
The intervention follows the announcement by the Principals of Colleges of Education that teacher- trainees would begin feeding themselves from May 8 due to non-payment of feeding grants.
“I am very happy today to inform you that government has released GHC67,942,652 to Colleges of Education. I know you may have read the media reports…there were many calls on us to respond to the concerns of PRINCOF…
“… and we want to take advantage of your presence here to make the country know that the President of the Republic, the Finance Minister and all those who are to ensure that various promises made to Colleges of Education are carried through have delivered on their promise, and that is why, once again, this amount has been released to Colleges of Education,” Dr Osei Adutwum explained.
PRINCOF demand
On Tuesday, the National Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education (PRINCOF), Ghana, in a press statement demanded that teacher trainees start to fund their own feeding from May 8.
This directive was in response to the inability of Colleges of Education to make payments for food items supplied to them.
According to PRINCOF, food suppliers who had continued delivering supplies to the Colleges for months without payment, and so they had finally withdrawn their services till they receive the monies owed them.
“Trainee teachers will be provided with two meals, breakfast and supper only for one week, from April 23 to April 30, 2022. Trainee teachers from May 1 to May 8, 2022 shall be given lunch only. After May 8, trainee teachers would be asked to provide their own meals until their feeding allowances have been paid,” PRINCOF said.
The Teacher-Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) had warned that the decision may pose as a national security threat.
Speaking in an interview with the media yesterday, the Association’s President, Jonathan Dzunu, stated that the students, “if starved, we would be compelled to picket against the decision”.
“This issue is an issue of national concern so government should do something about it. If we allow this to happen, and care is not taken, this will be an issue of national security because you’re sending over 20,000 students to the various campuses to get starved. Do you think there will be calm? No! Do you think there will be peace? No! And this is where we don’t want to get to,” he said.