Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, is considering whether government should release funding to feed students in training colleges and still pay for their fees under the ‘No fee stress’ policy.
The sector minister is of the view that such payments to students in the training colleges could affect budgetary allocations and amount to duplicates of payments for the students.
Haruna Iddrisu was speaking during the inauguration of the councils of colleges of education in Accra on August 21.
The sector minister was concerned about huge funding for most sectors in the education sector.
Currently, government is to roll out a ‘No fees stress’ policy for first-year students in tertiary institutions.
But the concern is that students in training colleges may benefit from ‘No fees stress’ policy while being fed.
The Minister of Education called for proper discussions on that to avoid duplication of budgetary allocation.
“We cannot elevate colleges and still have issues with feeding students, let’s have a national conversation on it. So, if there are first-year students in the colleges of education and we also paying the ‘No fees stress’ policy, what do we do to avoid duplication. So, if a student is entitled to 400 to 500 cedis allowance and to keep the ‘No fees stress’, we have to look at it. And am also happy to say that since I became the minister, the ‘No fees stress’ is one of the most impactful policies of president Mahama,” Iddrisu said.
According to him, “going forward, if the state can dedicate some funding drawn from our oil revenue that can be used to finance the ‘No fees stress’ policy and also the setting up of a scholarship and bursary authority to help the human development capital of this country.”
Already, the lecturers in tertiary institutions have raised issues about the payment of book and research allowance.
So far, government has earmarked to release over 30 million cedis for the payment of the book and research allowance.
“We have operationlised the National Research Fund, government spent 31 million cedis for the Book and Research Allowance for 46 colleges of education last year and this year, over one hundred million cedis has been earmarked to pay the book and research allowance. I just want you to know what financial burden which it comes with,” he said.
He added that, “in the tertiary education space, whilst last year we spent 428 million cedis for the entire tertiary education space this year, we are looking at 712 million cedis for Book and Research Allowance.”
The sector minister again emphasised on government’s decision to release over 400 million cedis to complete all stalled projects in tertiary institutions.
“I have a policy proposal for the absorption of three additional colleges of education- Savannah College of Education, the Ghana Moslem Mission College, so I expect that the GTEC Director-General will facilitate the process so that it will mean that there is expanded access for those institutions.”
“I am aware that many of the colleges have infrastructure challenges so accordingly this year, GTEC is putting aside 410 million cedis for the completion of stalled projects in the tertiary institutions,” he announced.
