MoE denies teachers development allowance deduction

The Ministry in charge of Education (MoE) has described as untrue a claim indicating it will deduct the 2022 professional development allowance of teachers to purchase modems and teaching and learning materials for them.

MoE’s comment comes after a report disclosed teachers will be charged between the amount of GH¢300 to GH¢450 for a modem. The source also said Professional Development Allowance (PDA) will be paid in November 2022.

“This year’s PDA will undoubtedly include a deduction for a product or teaching and learning materials TLM that the various teacher unions and Ghana Education Service (GES) have purchased for the teachers,” the report stated.

But in a statement copied to AcademicWeek, the Education Ministry said no such arrangements have been made, thus government school teachers eligible for the development allowance should treat any such information as false.

“It must be noted that teachers remain pivotal in the promotion and development of education in Ghana and are key to the transformation agenda being executed by the government,” the Ministry of Education stated in the release.

“Again it is worth noting that the Ministry of Education remains committed to paying the allowance to enable teachers to build their professional capabilities,” the press statement signed by the spokesperson for MoE noted.

In line with the Ministry of Education, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has urged all members of the various teacher unions to disregard the purported deduction of this year’s professional development allowance.

The National President of GNAT, Isaac Owusu on his take on the alleged deduction of the teachers’ development allowance said the information is false and must be disregarded or treated with the necessary contempt it deserves.

He indicated the leadership of the various unions have no intention to deduct any amount from this year’s Professional Development Allowance for the purchase of Modem and Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) for teachers.