Every New Basic School to Include Teacher Accommodation- President Mahama

President of Ghana H.E John Dramani Mahama has emphasized on the new directive that every basic level school must include teacher accommodations alongside the classroom blocks.

According to him, the goal is to ensure teachers have proper living facilities, enhancing their ability to focus on their teaching responsibilities.

President Mahama highlighted that, the initiative aims to address the long-standing issue of teacher housing shortages in rural and remote areas.

The directive is part of government broader effort to improve the living conditions and working environment for teachers.

“We have passed a directive that every school that is being built at the basic level must come with a company accommodation for teachers. And so instead of just building a six classroom block, there must be teachers quarters attached to the classroom block so that the teachers teaching there can have accommodation.” He said.

Collaboration with Teachers’ Fund for Affordable Housing :

H.E John Dramani Mahama discussed the potential collaboration with the Teachers’ Fund to provide counterpart funding for housing projects.

The idea is for teachers to apply for housing, with the government and the Teachers’ Fund contributing to the construction costs.

“The other that we spoke about before the election was that we wanted to collaborate with funds like the teachers fund, so that governments can also make a counterpart funding and add it to what the teachers have.” He indicated.

Affordable housing is rebranded as “low-cost housing” to make it more accessible to teachers, especially those in lower income brackets.

President Mahama underscored the government plans to allocate a budget for a fund that will support the construction of these homes.

Financing and Repayment Mechanisms for Teacher Housing :

President Mahama suggested a mechanism where teachers can repay the cost of their homes through monthly deductions from their salaries.

This approach would allow teachers to own their homes by the time they retire, eliminating the need for family disputes over inheritance.

The goal is to ensure teachers can retire with dignity, having secured their housing needs.

President Mahama charges the Minister of Education to work with the Teachers’ Fund to design and implement this housing scheme.

President reaffirmed government commitment to ensuring that teachers have access to affordable housing, enhancing their overall quality of life.