Fact check: NPP and Bawumia’s book and research allowance claim is false

Fact check: NPP and Bawumia’s book and research allowance claim is false

- Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang did not cancel the Book and Research Allowance

- Shortly after she was announced as the running mate of John Mahama in the 2020 election, the NPP said the former minister master-minded the cancellation of the research allowance

- But YEN.com.gh fact check indicates the claim by the NPP is false

- Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

On Monday, July 6, 2020, the communications director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoah, alleged that the NDC’s vice presidential candidate, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang cancelled the Book and Research Allowance for teachers and lecturers when she was education minister.

Research and Book allowances of our hard-working Lecturers were cancelled. Today we have reintroduced Book and research allowance and the government has also put together a stand-alone bill to dedicate enough resources for the fund,” Mr Asamoah said at the press conference.

The Adentan NPP MP reiterated the claim which Ghana’s Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia also stated at the acclamation of President Akufo-Addo in Accra.

Fact check: NPP and Bawumia’s book and research allowance claim is false
A letter by the Ministry of Finance authorizing payment on March 24, 2016. Source: Factcheck.com
Source: UGC

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But YEN.com.gh fact check can independently state that the claims by the NPP officials that the NDC under the supervision of Prof Opoku-Agyemang cancelled the research allowance for lecturers is untrue.

In 2013, the Government of Ghana through its functionaries announced that it was going to review the book and research allowance, a system that provided research support to lecturers and researchers.

The government said it wanted to replace it with the national research fund.

The decision was also announced in the 2014 budget statement (pg. 190) by the then finance minister, Mr Seth Terkper.

Also, checks revealed that the NDC and John Mahama’s administration in 2016 paid the book and research allowance for the 2015/2016 academic year.

The payment was further confirmed by the then President of UTAG, Dr Harry Agbanu, that the various universities had picked up their checks from the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE).

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The above evidence thus proves that the government of the NDC and former education minister, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang did not cancel the book and research allowance warranting its restoration or reintroduction as claimed by the NPP and Dr Bawumia.

YEN.com.gh also earlier reported that former president John Dramani Mahama has explained the rationale behind the National Democratic Congress (NDC) decision to settle on Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman as the party’s running mate for the 2020 election.

Addressing party members in Accra a day after he announced the former Education Minister as his running mate, the NDC flagbearer said the party has demonstrated its willingness to allow women to participate at the highest level of decision-making in the country.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

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