Some teacher trainees at the Presbyterian College of Education (PCE) in Akropong in the Eastern Region have declared their support for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
According to them, the NPP has outlined policies and programmes that would help improve the training of teachers in the country.
They argued that “the NPP has qualitative educational policies, as well as programmes that would ensure teacher retention and boost their performance.
They urged all teacher trainees across the country to vote massively for the NPP in the December polls.
The leader of the group, Mathias Larbi Ansah, addressing a press conference said, “We appeal to all teacher trainees in training colleges in Ghana never to think twice in voting for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“We, the students of PCE, are overly confident in the manifesto of the NPP: we believe Ghanaian students won’t be disappointed, and certainly an Akufo-Addo administration will honour the details of this manifesto,” he added.
The trainee teachers said, “A vote for Nana Addo is a vote for moderate fees, full payment of allowances, qualitative educational standards and good job placement after school.”
They also endorsed the NPP parliamentary candidature for the Akropong constituency Nana Ama Dokua.
According to them, her contributions and commitment to the development of the college are unparalleled.
“We, the students of PCE, having met all the parliamentary candidates in the constituency, have come to the conclusion that the NPP candidate is our best bet going into 2016 elections,” Ansah said.
The students, who are unhappy with government for withdrawing their allowances, said the NPP would fulfill its promise of fully restoring the allowances when voted into power.
They criticized government for restoring the allowances of nurse trainees and leaving trainee teachers in the country to their fate.
According to them, the decision is discriminatory and intended to win sympathy votes from trainee nurses.
They wondered why President Mahama, who had earlier indicated his readiness to lose the December 7 elections due to the cancellation of the allowances, backtracked at the last-minute to pay the allowances of trainee nurses recently.
From Daniel Bampoe, Akropong