Govt to cut spending on feeding for teacher trainees from May 8

Teacher trainees in education colleges across the country will cater for their feeding from May 8, The National Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education – Ghana (PRINCOF) has directed.

According to PRINCOF, allocations for the feeding from government has not been coming hence such directive.

It said food suppliers who had continued delivering supplies to these Colleges of Education for months without payment have finally withdrawn their services till they receive the monies owed them.

In a letter copied to the Ministry of Education, PRINCOF said the foodstuff they have cannot provide for 3 meals a day for the trainees.

“Most Colleges now have food items that can last only one week if students are to be provided with three (3) meals a day,” PRINCOF said in a letter to the Education Minister.

“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”, the statement added.

Earlier, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the 2020 running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said the teachers' trainee allowance was replaced with student loan when she served as the Education Minister.

She stated that the allowance was only replaced with a student loan scheme that provided the opportunity for more youth to be trained to enable the country to produce more teachers and nurses to fill the deficit in the schools and health facilities at the time.

"The trainee allowances were never cancelled, they were substituted with loans.