Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has announced the government’s decision to halt the provision of feeding allowances to teacher trainees in colleges of education across Ghana.
This decision was revealed during a meeting with college principals in Accra. Iddrisu explained that the government can no longer afford to sustain the policy of feeding trainees, emphasizing that it was unsustainable and inconsistent with global best practices in higher education.
The Minister argued that the responsibility of feeding tertiary students should not fall on the government. He highlighted that the state could no longer provide such support at this level of education.
Instead, Iddrisu revealed that the government plans to replace the feeding program with an enhanced student loan scheme, enabling students to manage their living expenses, including meals, on their own.
This shift is part of a broader effort to ensure the long-term sustainability of government spending on education and promote greater independence among teacher trainees.
“Feeding a student at the tertiary level is not feasible, so we are transitioning from the allowance system into a student loan program that allows them to manage their own needs,” Iddrisu stated. However, he assured that the trainees would still receive allowances during the transition period.
