Trainee Teachers and Nurses Allowance Is An Economic Scam

Photo credit: Rainbow Radio Online

The title above is a paraphrase of what my friend Nana Kojo said on Facebook, describing it as a scam and I so much agree to it.

Gone are the days when Ghana had enough money to pay students for schooling. They used to be fed and all and treated like the academics they were.

As Ghana went through the hands of Coup d'etat and revolutions, these privileges were scrapped off gradually.

Now University students (Public Universities) no longer receive allowances. Rather, a students' loan scheme has been made available for students to make use of.

It therefore is mind boggling when trainee teachers and nurses still receive allowances all in the name of politics.

I've not really liked Okudzeto Ablakwah's analysis of things but in 2016 while he acted as Deputy Minister of Education, he justified why these allowances were not important and why he personally feels the student loan scheme be extended to these training institutions.

He based it on the fact that they're all tertiary students so why should some be paid to go to school while others are not.

Even with that, there are levels to it. You can't compare a diploma to bachelor's degree. I'm not undermining a diploma but if any of these professions should receive allowances, it should be students undertaking Bachlors in Education and Bachelor of Science in Nursing cos they carry more weight on the field.

Because of this we have people with not too good grades being teachers and nurses, very sensitive professions, all because of the allowances they tend to enjoy. Why won't we have nurses who don't respect because it's not even their passion. They're there for the money.

Well, that aside, these same people who have been paid with taxpayers' monies by government will come and be expecting the government to give them postings. Funny enough these ungrateful beings use threats.

Mr. Politician, nursing and teacher trainees are just a little percentage of total student population. What if we also decide not to vote for you cos not all of us are enjoying allowances.

What is the point in being paid to go to school and threatening the same system of they don't give you jobs?

So what also happens to students of Engineering, Economics and their likes who were not paid to school and are also home?

In the quest to score political points we refuse to consider the long term effect. Majority of these teachers and nurses entering the field do not enjoy their profession. Only a few develop the interest when they enter.

We complain of poor grades by students and a failing health system. Have you considered who teaches the failing kids? Have you considered the nurses to lackadaisically attend to patients?

We are threading a dangerous path as a nation and if care is not taken, we will be worse than we are now as a nation.

Stop paying these allowances and provide loan schemes for these people. Else stop giving them postings. Let them apply for jobs like every tertiary graduate does.

Also raise the entrance requirements of nurses and teachers.

 If one needs a minimum grade of B3 to read other medical related courses, why lower that of nurses?

Unless there's a reasonable justification to why they are paid allowances and still given secured jobs, my thumbs have done the talking and it's left for your conscience to do the thinking.