The government has approved the payment of Book and Research Allowances for senior members of public universities and colleges of education for the 2024/2025 academic year. Apexnewsgh reports
According to a document seen by Citi News, academic staff will receive $1,500 as Book Allowance and $1,600 as Research Allowance, while non-academic senior staff will receive $1,500 as Book Allowance.
The cedi equivalent of the allowances will be calculated using the Bank of Ghana’s average exchange rate of GHS15.47 to $1.00, covering the period from September 2, 2024, to March 28, 2025.
The Ministry of Finance has directed that all claims submitted must be audited and validated by Internal Audit Units of the respective institutions before forwarding to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) for processing and payment. Institutions are required to submit two copies of audited claims for both academic and non-academic senior members, using a standardized claims template.
The directive is expected to trigger immediate submissions from institutions amid ongoing tension within the tertiary education sector over salary arrears, cost-of-living pressures, and outstanding allowances. Three key unions in tertiary education — the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG), and the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) — have jointly threatened a nationwide strike if the government fails to pay their book and research allowances by June 13, 2025.
The unions warned that the delay in releasing the exchange rate required to compute their book and research allowances has created “significant uncertainty and frustration” among members.
They stressed that the allowance is a statutory obligation under their Conditions of Service, not a discretionary gesture, and that failure to honor the June 13 deadline will be treated as an official strike notice, triggering industrial action across all affected campuses.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen
