Teacher Trainee Allowance “CHOPPED”, students demand refund

Teacher Trainee Allowance “CHOPPED”, students demand refund. News coming in indicates the leadership of Gbewaa College of Education in Pusiga have refused to pay teacher training allowance paid to the school for feeding students. These students are currently doing their teaching practice and are no longer on campus. 

The school without any consultation with the students’ representative council and the government has decided to charge students and deducted the 2020 graduation fee of GH₵ 250.00  from the students’ outstanding Teacher Trainee Allowance funds in its custody. 

Also Read: NABCO Trainees are HOT: Unpaid allowances and MTN Qwikloan Arrears Wahala

Teacher Trainee Allowance “CHOPPED”, students demand refund

This the student leadership sees as improper and unprofessional on the part of management when there has not been any agreement for such a move at a time when they need the money badly to settle down especially when they are not going to be on campus and have commenced their teaching practice. 

The newly trained teachers of Gbewaa University College have registered their displeasure with the way the college disbursed their level 300 second semester allowance sent directly to the school leadership by government.

Also Read: Breaking: Demo Hits UDS Navrongo

This happens to be their second-semester feeding component of the allowance which the school decided to use to its advantage without consulting the student leadership.

Before the reinstatement of the allowance, It was agreed that 50% of teacher trainees allowance equivalent to GH₵ 200.00 would be paid directly to the school as feeding fee. 

However, level three students who are always doing their teaching practice outside the college will always receive that feeding component of the allowance when it goes to the college since they are not going to be fed by the college during the period of their practicum.

Also Read: Ghana Teacher Prize: Sabina Dosu crowned 2019 Best Ghanaian Teacher

The first-semester feeding fee of GH₵ 784.00 was given to the college and it was used as part payment of our third-year fees of GH₵ 909.00 leaving a balance of GH₵ 125.00 to complete the payment. 

Not just quite long, the second-semester component also came and per the calculations, they were supposed to deduct GH₵ 125.00 from the GH₵ 784.00  and another deduction of GH₵ 10.00 for a 3- day stay on the campus after the students had completed school.

Haven returned to the school to write their licensure exams, a further deduction was to be made and an amount of GH₵ 649.00 was due to be refunded to students. Management decided nto to do the needful but charge 2020 graduation and further reduce what was due students.

The graduation from our investigations will be held next year and knowing the time value of money, the students have rejected the unpopular decision by management and are demanding immediate refunds of the money deducted from their funds illegally to enable them to prepare adequately for other current important needs.

The students have called on management to explain how it was collecting its graduation fee in the days when the student allowance was scrapped and maintain that because using the funds due them to pay for graduation to be held in 2020 and without their concern is illegal and a misappropriation of their funds giving the importance of time value of money.

Source: Newsghana24