''I Benefited From The Restored Trainee Allowances And Even Went Home With One Thousand Ghana Cesdis After Completion"; A Beneficiary

The nurses and teachers trainee allowances as we all know were paid to trainees at all the public Colleges of Education and Nursing and Midwifery since time immemorial until former President John Mahama, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who benefited from The Northern Scholarship cancelled them. The cancellation of the allowances was not reasonable because the argument then was that it will enable more students to be admitted into the training institutions. But juxtaposition that argument with the then backlog of numerous unemployed trained teachers and qualified nurses and midwives, one could only draw a conclusion that it was a very poor decision on the part of former President John Mahama and his government to cancel the age long allowances. His administration was also advocating for student loans in place of the allowances.

There is no doubt that the teacher and nurses trainee allowances have over the years helped many underprivileged students to attain their professional ambitions and the need to restore the allowances was of outmost importance.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) that is widely known for initiating almost all the social intervention policies in Ghana, in opposition promised to restore the allowances cancelled by the then NDC government led by the incompetent John Mahama. The Nana-Bawumia Government didn't hesitate to restore the allowances to the benefit of the many underprivileged students.

It will be disingenuous for people to think that the allowances were not paid to the students since 2017. Despite the recent challenges, the students have over the years enjoyed the allowances in one way or the other. The beneficiaries of the restored allowances are living testimonies.

In my interactions with some of the beneficiaries, it is obviously clear that the restored allowances are serving their intended purposes. A former beneficiary, who is now a qualified nurse and working indicated to me that had it not because of the restored allowances he couldn't have completed the Nursing Training College. He said his brother who was supporting him financially had challenges at the work side and couldn't help him anymore.

Another interesting testimony by a beneficiary was just last week. I had some political discussions with a supposed floating voter and I asked him if someone gives him a loan to pay back and another gives him allowance that he won't pay back which one will he go for? He dishonestly said he would go for the loan. Fortunately, a beneficiary of the restored allowances who is also a floating voter was around and indicated that ''I Benefited From The Restored Trainee Allowances And Even Went Home With One Thousand Ghana Cesdis After Completion". That was a good testimony from an honest floating voter.

In conclusion, the living testimonies by some honest beneficiaries tell it all that the benefits of restoring the allowances are enormous and rightly justifying the need for the restoration. Dear trainee (Teacher, Nurse Or Midwife), trust Dr. Bawumia to continue paying your allowances, for Mr. John Mahama and his NDC have nothing good for you. Are they providing you with a better alternative? Will you go for student loan or allowance? Choose wisely, for there is an old adage that "collect small is better than safe journey (with empty hands)"

Bawumia For President 2024
It is possible In Shaa Allah
Thank you
Alhaji Salifu Hadara
A Patriot
Nalerigu/Gambaga Constituency
North East Region
[email protected]
22/05/2024