President John Dramani Mahama has announced a 20 percent allowance for teachers who accept to teach in rural schools. He noted that it is important to continue to retain and motivate teachers in all schools, especially in rural and underserved areas.

As a result, the President announced during the State of the Nation Address (#SONA2025) today Thursday (February 27, 2025) that his government will begin plans for the implementation of the 20% allowance for teachers who agree to serve in rural schools.

He stated that the District Assemblies would be involved in this scheme to ensure that the teachers are present at post and teaching. He emphasized this scheme will reward such teachers for their sacrifice and ensuring quality education nationwide.

“As part of our Teacher Dabr3 initiative, the construction of teacher accommodation units to improve welfare and attract teachers to rural areas will commence this year” Mr. Mahama affirmed.

Highlighting on measures to improve teaching and learning outcomes in Ghana, the President said the government will redefine the scope of basic education and introduce the “Zero to Hero” initiative to enhance foundational literacy and numeracy.

He mentioned even though Article 38 of the Constitution guarantees equitable access to education across Ghana, 30 years after the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) programme, its full objectives remain unmet.

“…This year, the Ministry of Education will fully implement a new curriculum for Senior High Technical Schools and STEM Schools, introduce a standardised National Sign Language for hearing-impaired learners from Kindergarten to SHS, and review the Kindergarten and Primary School curriculums.

“To increase access to quality education, we will scale up social intervention programmes like Capitation Grants, Feeding Grants for Special Schools, and the government’s BECE registration initiative” he stated.

Additionally, the President said ICT training will be integrated into early childhood education, stressing that over the next three years; it will be expanded to cover 300 classrooms, 30 centres of excellence, 1,000 teachers, and District Teacher Support Teams (DTSTs) with the focus on mathematics and literacy.

Source: Ginanewsroom.com