Approval has been given from the Ghana Education Service (GES) to enroll staff of the 37 Colleges of Education (COE) in the country onto the Single Spine Salary Pay Structure (SSPS) effective next month.

Following the attainment of the tertiary, the approval given means salaries, retention premium, critical sup­port allowances, and conversion difference will be paid to eligible staff of the Colleges of Education.

This was contained in a statement dated September 15, 2016 issued by the Minister of Finance, Seth Terkper.

The statement however said that not all existing staff of the COE met the minimum requirement of the new scheme of service developed by the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE).

It explained that staff who did not qualify for the new scheme would be subsequently enrolled onto the GES payroll.

According to the statement, job titles of the COE have been changed and in some instances, job holders have been placed in lower grade levels with corresponding lower salaries.

All such job holders would receive conversion difference in line with the single spine pay policy, it added.

“In the interim, retention premium and critical support of 15 per cent paid to the teaching and selected non-teaching staff of the COE will continue to be paid, until government directives on the payment of premi­ums and any other related allowances is reviewed,” the statement said.

Also, payment of all other allowances would be made in accordance with the approved rates of category 2 and 3 allowance but the payment of professional allowances has ceased to exist, it said.

According to the statement, the schedule for payment of associated arrears would be communicated in due course.

In the letter, the Auditor General was requested to audit the new levels to enable the Controller and Accountant General’s Department effect payment to the affected staff.

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