President reaffirms pledge to restore teacher allowance
Delivering his maiden State of the Nations Address on Tuesday, to Parliament in Accra, President Akufo-Addo said: “Teacher trainee allowances would be restored when the Minister of Finance comes to read the budget, my government shall place teachers at the centre of quality education and encourage professionalism amongst them”.
The immediate past government withdrew both teacher and nurse’s trainee allowances in 2014, saying it would curb the ballooning government expenditure as well as ensure fairness to all categories of tertiary students.
President Akufo-Addo announced that the Free Senior High School programme would start with the 2017/2018 entrants in the quest to ensure that every Ghanaian child got access to education.
He said the Government would reform the basic school curriculum with emphasis on literacy, numeracy and creative skills.
“Government shall also embark upon a vigorous expansion, and the reequipping of technical vocational and agricultural schools,” he added.
President Akufo- Addo said the teaching of Mathematics and Science would take the pride of place in all schools as government aimed to make the understanding of the scientific basics of life a central plank in all schools, and also make the use of ICT a central feature in national life
His appearance before the House is in fulfillment of Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution, which states: “The President shall, at the beginning of each session of Parliament and before dissolution of Parliament, deliver a message on the State of the Nation.”
The address was before the plenary of 275 legislators, who were joined in the House by observers including representatives of political parties, the Trades Union Congress, the Diplomatic Corps, traditional rulers, representatives of the religious bodies and a cross section of Ghanaians, in the public gallery.
President Akufo-Addo gave an account on the performance of the various sectors of the economy, as inherited from the erstwhile National Democratic Congress Government, led by Former President John Dramani Mahama.
Source: GNA