Budget Forum advocates extra
duty allowance for teachers
Wa, Nov. 28, GNA - Participants at a public forum
held on the 2007 budget at Wa in the Upper West
Region on Tuesday, have called on the government to
consider introducing extra duty allowance for
teachers to motivate them in view of the large
numbers of children they handle in their classes.
Citing the Upper West as an example, they said the
pupil-teacher ratio was about one teacher to 70 to
100 pupils and urged government to adequately
address that problem in its next supplementary
budget and financial statement.
The teachers, who formed the majority at the forum,
said the government used the law to force them back
to the classrooms, so it should ask the law to
monitor and teach the children.
The Centre for Budget Advocacy of the Integrated
Social Development Centre (ISODEC) organized the
forum with the collaboration of the Upper West
Regional Branch of the Ghana National Association of
Teachers (GNAT).
It brought together a broad spectrum of people
including, representatives of labour unions and
Non-Governmental Organizations, public servants,
teachers, students and some members of the general
public to discuss key issues in the budget sample
opinions and share ideas.
Mrs. Cate Bob-Milliar, Upper West Regional Director
of the Department of Women of the Ministry of Women
and Children's Affaires, who spoke on the
implications of the 2007 budget on women, said the
budget was silent on issues affecting women.
She observed that even all the achievements recorded
in the 2006 budget did not show any significant
involvement of women and noted that if the trend
continued in future budgets, the country would find
it difficult to meet the Millennium development
goals.
She said for the country to succeed in its
development ambitions, all sections of the
population must be optimally equipped to contribute
their quota citing the apparent neglect of the shea
nut industry, which was the main economic resource
of women in the three northern regions.
Mr. John Ayaga, a Budget Analyst of the Upper West
Regional Coordinating Council said for the country
to meet its expenditure, there was the need to
aggressively mobilize revenue and manage its
collection.
The Government, he stated, exceeded its salary and
wage bill for the year by 2.4 billion cedis as at
September.
The budget's thematic areas of human resource
development, private sector development, good
governance and civic responsibility together with
the impact of previous budgets and that of the 2007
budget on the people of the three northern regions
were all discussed at the open forum.
GNA
