The Ministry of Finance has given approval for the payment of the 2014/2015 book and research allowance for members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG).
The Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Mr Francis Gbadago, gave a hint of the latest development in an interview with Graphic Online’s reporter, Severious Kale-Dery.
He said the Ministry of Finance forwarded the letter of approval, which contained the exchange rate to the Ministry of Education on Tuesday for the payment process to kick-start.
Approval letter
The approval letter explained that the cedi equivalent of the existing rates should apply using the Bank of Ghana average exchange rate of GHc3.5023 to one US Dollar. The letter requested the Auditor-General to audit the claims to enable the ministry to authorise payment.
Submission of claims
Mr Gbadago said when the approval letter got to the ministry, “We immediately forwarded it to the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), which will now request the various tertiary institutions to submit claims of those eligible beneficiaries.”
He said the universities and polytechnics would in turn furnish the NCTE with the audited claims, which would then forward it back to the Ministry of Education for vetting before submitting it to the Ministry of Finance for payment.
Various processes
Taking Graphic Online through the various procedures, Mr Gbadago said the NCTE would first write to the Ministry of Education that indeed the people needed their allowance.
“Then, we will forward it to the Ministry of Finance for it to give us the exchange rate for us to furnish the NCTE which would then request for audited claims from the various tertiary institutions for payment,” he explained.
“So, until the Ministry of Finance approves that the payment processes should go on, such payment will never happen. But for now, we have crossed that bridge,” he told Graphic Online.
Appeal
“At this stage, we will say that we have made a significant progress and, will, therefore, wish to appeal to the UTAG to consider this significant progress so far made by the ministry and call of the strike for the benefit of all Ghanaians,” Mr Gbadago said.
