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Govt releases GH¢104m to pay teachers’ salary arrears

The government has released GH¢104million to offset the salary arrears of some 32,504 teachers across the country.

The 32,000 include, both teaching and non-teaching staff recruited between October 2016 and December 2019, who were affected by the three months backpay policy, introduced by the previous government. 

The government has also released extra amount for the payment of all additional duty allowances owed beneficiary teachers.

Speaking to the Ghanaian Times in Accra, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwah, said the government inherited the three months pay policy, which was unfair to teachers.

He said as part of educational reforms, government decided to abolish the policy, and revert to the original policy, which mandated government to pay teachers from the date of the appointment.

Prof. Amankwah said government greatly appreciated the role of teachers in the delivery of quality education in the country, and would do everything possible to enhance their conditions of service.

 He said the policy of three months salary was out of place in the first place and should not have been introduced at all, however, the government had abolished it and it was good news.

“That insensitive three months allowance policy is no more because it was in bad taste for teachers.’’ he said.

Prof. Amankwah stressed that apart from the payment of the arrears, government had also given the go ahead for all additional duty allowances to be paid to teachers, who performed these duties.

He explained that at least 40,275, made up of head teachers, housemasters and senior housemasters were part of the category of teachers, who would benefit from the payment of allowances.

According to Prof. Amankwah, the payment of the additional duty allowance had to be suspended for an audit to be conducted to ascertain those who truly qualified for it.

He said that “When we came into office, we realised that the allowance was being abused to the extent that watchmen and even teachers teaching in day schools were all receiving it.”

Prof. Amankwah indicated that all the allowances would be paid alongside the payment of salaries, which had already been affected for the month.

BY CLIFF EKUFUL

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