By:Baba Issahaq Mohammed
The National Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has strongly criticized the government’s alleged plan to cancel allowances for nursing and teacher trainees. The group has called on President John Mahama and his administration to uphold their campaign promise of maintaining these financial benefits for students.
In a statement released on Sunday, the NPP Youth Wing accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of reneging on its 2024 election pledge. According to the group, the move amounts to “deception” and betrays the trust of students who voted for the NDC based on this commitment.
“We are gobsmacked to notice the intention to cancel teacher and nursing training allowances in flagrant contrast to their promise to rather be prompt on payments during the 2024 elections campaign,” the statement, signed by NPP National Youth Organizer Salam Mustapha, read.
The NPP Youth Wing argued that replacing the allowances with an improved student loan system is not a viable alternative. They contend that teacher and nursing training institutions remain colleges rather than universities, making the government’s justification for the policy change questionable.
Beyond the policy concerns, the group also condemned online commentator Kevin Taylor, alleging that he had insulted students opposing the allowance cancellation. They described his remarks as “condescending” and demanded an apology from both the government and Mr Taylor.
“We demand an apology from President John Mahama and his government and further demand that they cage this mad dog of theirs who has been terrorizing Ghanaians,” the statement said.
The controversy over trainee allowances has been a recurring issue in Ghana’s political landscape. The policy was scrapped under the previous Mahama administration in 2014 but was later reinstated under the NPP government in 2017. The debate continues as stakeholders weigh the financial implications against the benefits for students in teacher and nursing colleges.
As tensions rise, the NPP Youth Wing has urged affected students to push back against the proposed cancellation. “Rise up in defence of your dignity,” the group’s statement urged.
The government has yet to officially confirm or deny plans to remove the allowances. However, discussions about broader reforms to student financing in Ghana are expected to continue in the coming weeks.
