The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced a substantial increase in the book and research allowance for tertiary education staff.
The allocation has been significantly raised from GH¢408 million to GH¢610 million, a development that is expected to alleviate the longstanding tensions between the government and unions, including the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG), and Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), who had previously threatened to stage a nationwide strike over delayed payments.
Addressing the 22nd UTAG Biennial Conference,Hon. Iddrisu reaffirmed the government’s unrelenting commitment to supporting the academic community.
“In the last few months, there was a threat and the semblance of a strike in the name of book and research allowance. I am happy to note that from GH¢408 million for the year, this year the government is committing GH¢610 million to honour your book and research allowance. And that is in process,” he stated authoritatively.
The Ministry of Education, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, is working assiduously to ensure the prompt disbursement of the funds.
This development is positioned to have a profoundly positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning in Ghana’s universities, technical institutions, and colleges of education, as timely and adequate funding for research is a sine qua non for academic excellence.
