The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has disclosed that government has released over GH¢67 million to public Colleges of Education in the country to cater for the trainee’s feeding.
This comes after the National Conference of Principals of Colleges of Education – Ghana (PRINCOF) in a letter directed teacher trainees across the country to start feeding themselves effective May 9, 2022.
The directive was due to the inability of management of Colleges of Education to make payments for food items supplied to them.
Addressing the matter in a press conference in Accra on Wednesday April 20, Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum said the fund was released to fulfil promises made to the Colleges of Education in the country.
“I am very happy to inform you that government has released ¢67, 942, 652 to Colleges of Education. I know you may have read media reports, there were many calls on us to respond to concerns of PRINCOF”
“And we want to the advantage of your presence here to let the country know that the President of the Republic, the Finance Minister and all those who have work hard to ensure that various promises made to Colleges of Education are carried through, has once again delivered on their promise. That is why this amount has been released to Colleges of Education” the Minister said.
Earlier, in the letter dated Tuesday April 19, 2022, signed by the Executive Secretary of PRINCOF, Dr. Harriet Naki Amui and copied to the Ministry of Education, PRINCOF said the teacher trainees must start funding their own feeding after May 8 until debt owned them are cleared.
“Most colleges now have food items that can last only one week if students are to be provided with three (3) meals a day”
“Trainees teachers will be provided with two meals, breakfast and supper only for one week, from April 23 to April 30, 2022. Trainee teachers from May 1 to May 8, 2022 shall be given lunch only” PRINCOF said in the letter.
To that end, “After May 8, trainee teachers would be asked to provide their own meals until their feeding allowances have been paid.”
Part of the letter therefore urged food vendors to henceforth increase the quantity of daily meals they cook for sale to students on various campuses.
To conclude, it said the measures are meant to ensure that there is no “disruption of the academic calendar.”
