“You cannot call someone a nation builder and leave them homeless. Teachers are not asking for luxury they are asking for dignity.”
Ghana’s teachers stand at the frontline of national development. They are the backbone of every profession, yet they remain the most economically marginalized public servants. One of the most pressing issues that continues to crush their dignity and performance is the absence of rent allowance.
Government of Ghana over the years acknowledges the importance of teachers yet refuses to extend rent allowance, citing excuses such as “payroll constraints” and “the large number of teachers.” However, there is no justification for denying teachers a basic right to shelter support not when other public servants receive the same. Not when teachers, in every town and village, are sacrificing their comfort to shape the future of this nation.
In urban areas like Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale, rent is a nightmare. A single room with shared facilities costs between GH¢400–GH¢700 per month, with landlords demanding 1–2 years’ advance payment. In rural areas, accommodation is not only unaffordable but also often do not exist.
Many teachers are forced to sleep in classrooms or school kitchens, commute long distances daily risking their safety and health, live in kiosks, uncompleted buildings, or shared overcrowded rooms, or rent rooms in poor sanitary conditions that are unsafe and unhealthy. Yet they must wake up every day, prepare lesson plans, teach 60 or more pupils in overcrowded classrooms, and carry the emotional burdens of their students while wondering where they will sleep next week.
Ghana has over 350,000 teachers which influences the payroll numbers. But does that mean the government should ignore basic human needs? If the number of teachers is too large to support with rent allowance, then it is too large to entrust with Ghana’s future.
A bloated payroll should never be an excuse to withhold rights. Teachers are not asking for privilege but they are asking for fairness. Consider this, Police officers receive rent allowance. Military personnel receive housing or allowance. Judges, MPs, and even non-teaching civil servants get accommodation support.
Why not the teacher been the one who trained all the above?
When teachers are stressed, homeless, or financially broken, the entire education system collapses. Academic performance declines. Teacher absenteeism increases. Attrition rates rise. Morale and commitment drop.
We cannot expect world class education from teachers who live in poverty and panic.
Shelter is a fundamental right. Teachers deserve decent living conditions to function effectively.
Other public servants receive rent support. Teachers must be treated equally under government employment. Rent allowance will reduce stress, improve morale, and retain skilled teachers especially in rural postings. When housing is secured, teachers can focus on lesson delivery, innovation, and student development.
Providing rent allowance will especially help those in underserved regions where affordable housing is nonexistent.
What’s the long-term cost of producing half-baked students?
What’s the national loss when hundreds of teachers quit annually due to housing stress?
What’s the price we pay when educators become beggars?
Ghana’s educational goals, including SDG 4 (Quality Education), cannot be achieved on the backs of homeless, underpaid, and unsupported teachers.
Implement a tiered rent allowance system (e.g., GH¢500–GH¢1000 per month) based on posting location and accommodation availability. Partner with district assemblies to build teacher bungalows and offer subsidized rent to own programs.
Offer teachers an annual lump sum to cover rent advances, especially in high-rent zones.
This is not a luxury demand but a survival plea. No nation can rise above the quality of its teachers. And no teacher can perform miracles on an empty stomach or a broken back.
The Government of Ghana must stop ignoring the living conditions of educators. The future of Ghana depends on what happens in our classrooms and classrooms depend on teachers who are safe, secure, and supported.
“If we can’t give them homes, at least give them the means to rent one.”
It’s time to act and begins with paying every teacher the rent allowance they rightfully deserve.
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