Facts Check: IMF deal to affect nursing & teacher trainees allowances?

Information circulating online suggests that the IMF deal secured by the government of Ghana will affect nursing & teacher trainees’ allowances. This information has sent a lot of shock waves across the training colleges and their students.

To verify the accuracy of the above, the Ghanaeducation.org team embarked on a fact-finding mission, using the government’s communication to the public to filter the truth or otherwise relating to the statement that the IMF deal will affect nursing & teacher trainees’ allowances.

Reliable information available indicates the following.

In a speech read on behalf of President Akufo-Addo by Senior Presidential Advisor Yaw Osafo-Maafo, he indicated the stand of the government.

The government disclosed at the 175th Anniversary of the Presbyterian College of Education that the government during the IMF deal discussions ensured that no decision affected the continuous provision of allowance to trainees. This was made public in President Nana Addo’s speech at the 175th Anniversary of the Presbyterian College of Education.

According to him, the health and education allowance was tagged as a social intervention program and was strongly protected while the government negotiated for the IMF’s 3 billion dollar loan.

Excerpts of the Speech the President read are shared below, “I know that the difficulty in the economic landscape which has resulted in the government’s signing up for a program with the International Monitory Fund may cause you some concern. But none of the allowances of the teaching profession will be affected by our program with IMF”

According to the government, the delays that characterize the payment of the allowance are as a result of the lack of adequate funds to pay these allowances when they are due.

“There were certain things which were not to be touched, and the teacher allowances was one of such protected allowance. The difficulty in prompt payment is coming from our own mobilization of resources and not the IMF, once you have it you can be sure that teachers’ allowances and the rest of it will be honoured appropriately”.

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Facts Check: From the above, it is clear that the government has no intention to halt the payment of the allowances, hence the information circulating that the $3 billion IMF deal will affect nursing & teacher trainees’ allowances is false.