Minister of Information Mustapha Hamid has emphasised government’s commitment to quality education at all levels across the country.

He expressed the view that government was not only focused on its Free SHS policy but would soon roll out other key interventions to ensure a holistic revamp of the country’s educational system.

To buttress his point, he pointed out in an interview with Moro Awudu on Class FM’s Executive Breakfast Show: “The past government has said that from this year they were not going to pay book and research allowances but we have come and restored that because lecturers have to do research in order to teach.

“Many quality journals across the world take publication fees in order to publish your quality research.”

The allowance will, therefore, ease the burden the lecturers would have had to pay in order to have the publication.

Mr Hamid explained that lecturers in the country were engaged on a two-year contract basis subject to renewal.

“At the end of the two years, the university will write to you and say your contract is about to end so you should justify the renewal of your contract. So you have to attach your research papers and other reasons for contract extension,” the minister added.

He has also indicated that teachers who are posted to schools in rural areas will be provided with incentives to motivate them to put in quality work.

He said government was prioritising the welfare of teachers in order not to compromise the quality of education.

“Our education programme is quite comprehensive in its outlook and not just about access. For example, we have a programme called Teachers First and the principle or philosophy is what has restored the [trainee] teachers’ allowances. We also want to introduce incentives that will attract people to go and teach in the rural areas,” he told Class FM’s Moro Awudu on the Executive Breakfast Show on Wednesday, March 8.

According to him, “when you agree to teach in rural areas, perhaps you get a rural allowance or some incentives better than someone who is in an urban centre so that the rural areas will get the same calibre of teachers in the urban areas”.

He said that the Education Ministry was considering various forms of incentive, including motorbikes, to ease transportation, housing schemes, etc.

The minister emphasised that education remained the priority of government because human capital remains the greatest tool for the nation’s development.

Source: ClassFMonline.com