NAGRAT welcomes new allowance package for teachers

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has lauded the introduction of the government’s policy on Professional Teacher Allowance.

Per the new allowance scheme, professional teachers will receive an amount of GHS 1,200 while non-professional teachers will receive GHS 600 annually.

The initiative, according to the government is to deepen the teachers’ commitment and spur professional growth.

President of NAGRAT, Angel Carbonu told Accra-based Citi FM that the association looks forward to government’s acceptance of their proposed mode of payment.

“It is very welcoming news. It is part of the negotiated conditions of service that we are about to sign with the Ministry and Ghana Education Service. It is integrated into the condition of service that we negotiated. It should be signed by the end of this week or next week.

“What we have insisted is that it should be paid through the Controller and Accountant General. It should not go through any regional or district office of education or any school to be paid to the teacher. In one year, it should be a one-off payment,” he said.

Mr. Carbonu also explained the variance in the allowance for professional and non-professional teachers.

“They took into consideration the professional requirements and expectations of a professional teacher in renewing your license. They took that into consideration to calculate how much each person will get,” he explained further.

He said teachers had put in place measures to ensure there is no disappointment from the government as has been seen over the years.

In an address to Parliament, the Education Minister, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh said this allowance “will enable teachers to invest in improving and upgrading their skills and keeping abreast with modern trends to assist in improving learning outcomes.”

The new conditions of service are expected to be signed within the next two weeks.