On Friday, president Mahama indicated that he would rather lose in the upcoming elections than restore the scrapped allowance of teacher trainees.
The president of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has chided president John Mahama for saying he prefers to lose the 2016 election than restore the teacher trainee allowances.
“If the principle is not going to help the system, you don’t stick by the principle and say I am gambling my political career with it. When it happens like that you put very body in a very difficult position,” Christian Adai Poku said.
Mr Poku said NAGRAT view the teacher trainee allowances as a policy decision and not a political decision, saying “[we] will continue to advocate our position on this matter and we are always ready to engage government.”
On Friday, president Mahama indicated that he would rather lose in the upcoming elections than restore the scrapped allowance of teacher trainees.
In a tweet on his Twitter handle, President Mahama said: “better to lose on principle than win using falsehood.”
He reiterated the stance of the government that they would not reverse the decision taken.
The presidential nominee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Akufo Addo has promised to restore the allowance of the teacher trainees if he is voted into power after December 7.
The NDC government scrapped the teachers and nurses trainee allowances some years ago to do away with the quota system and allow the admission of more people.
Later the allowance of the nursing trainees was restored. This brought a lot of agitations among teacher trainees who demanded their allowance be restored as well. They have threatened to vote against the NDC if President Mahama and other stakeholders do not change their mind.
But President Mahama who is on a campaign tour in the Central Region says his government will not reverse its decision.