Convert Teacher Trainee Allowances into Loans – Franklin Cudjoe Advises Government | Gh Edu Pro

 

The President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has raised concerns over the government’s decision to allocate funds for teacher trainee allowances in the 2025 budget. He believes that the support should be structured as a loan instead of a grant.

“I thought it should be a loan so they can pay it back. Converting it into a grant is just spending money,” he said in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem.

Franklin Cudjoe explained that while he is not entirely against nursing trainee allowances, he does not support extending the same financial aid to teacher trainees.

SEE ALSO: 2025 Budget: Government Allocates GH¢203 Million for Teacher Trainee Allowances

“Maybe the nurses’ allowance is okay, but for teachers, I think it’s just spending money unnecessarily,” he argued. “The NDC may have considered that teachers need support, and if they can afford to give them, that’s fine. But for me, I believe they should be given loans instead of grants.”

He also suggested that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) might be using the allowances as a political tool. However, he acknowledged that the party’s approach was different from that of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“The NDC is spreading the love and has been different this time, unlike the NPP. But beyond politics, I think maybe things are tough, so they want to give teachers some relief,” he stated.

His comments follow the announcement by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson that the government has allocated GHS683 million for teacher and nursing trainee allowances in the 2025 budget.

“We have allocated GHS203 million for the payment of teacher trainee allowances and another GHS480 million for nursing trainee allowances,” Dr. Forson revealed while presenting the budget in Parliament.

This funding aims to provide financial assistance to aspiring educators and healthcare workers to help them complete their training without financial difficulties.

While Franklin Cudjoe acknowledges the importance of supporting teacher trainees, he warns that the government must be careful with how resources are used.

“We also need to be careful. Some of these beneficiaries may not even serve the country after their training,” he noted. “It’s a social democratic policy, and the NDC can choose to do these freebies, but we need to think long-term.”

His remarks add to the ongoing debate about whether government support for teacher trainees should continue as grants or be converted into a loan scheme to ensure sustainability.

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