Despite her brilliant performance at the just released West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) results, she could not further her education to any higher institution of learning through no fault of hers. The reason is not far-fetched! It was not because of two batches of Senior Secondary School (SHS) graduates scrambling for limited admission spaces at the tertiary level of education this year, but as a result of Government’s decision to scrap teacher trainee allowances upon which she banked her hopes to enter the College of Education this year. So unfortunately her dream of becoming a professional teacher in the future hangs in the balance. Maame Efua did not know whether to cry or to rejoice over her result slip she held in her hand, brooding over the dark cloud enveloping her future prospects. Naturally, passing an exam with flying colours brings joy and happiness to family and friends alike. But in her case, weeping and gnashing of teeth became a common feature in the household as if mourning the death of a dear one. Maame Efua is a brilliant girl but she comes from a poor background. Her single mother could not afford to see her through secondary education. She had gotten support from a philanthropist and the headmistress of her school who financed her schooling. News that teacher trainee allowances have been scraped affected her psychologically: she could not even eat well. Neither could she sleep nor perform her household chores. Consequently, she cried out her heart all night. Her eyes swollen with tears. Her doting mother, Auntie Serwaah, was not a happy woman. She was deeply worried about the predicament of her daughter but showed no sign of it, however hard it was for her. Like others, Maame Efua had the intention of using the College of Education as a springboard to fulfil her ambitions in life. She had a real love for the teaching profession. Her talent for teaching was noticeable early in life as she could gather all the kids in the neighbourhood and begin to teach them. So it came as no wonder that parents of other kids kept referring to her as 'Teacher Efua'. Atta Ofori who is a qualified teacher also have this experience to share: "I just graduated from the College of Education and posted to one of the most remote parts of the country. Born and bred in the city, I had no choice but to go there in the service of my country. In fact, my first visit to the post nearly made me change my mind. The road was virtually unpassable , the village lacked social amenities and on top of it all, no place to lay my head, I found myself perching with a good Samaritan for some time before I managed to get a place of my own. As if that is not enough, it took quite some months for me to receive my allowance or even to be placed on salary scale by the authorities. Even though I was not paid on time, I spent money on food, clothes and rent just to keep body and soul together", he recounted. He said but for the social contract he signed with the government in which he was bound by law to serve the nation for a period of 5 years, he would have abandoned his post to look for job elsewhere. These scenarios reflect the reality of the situation many newly trained teachers face and the kind of frustration and disappointment they bear in serving the nation. According to Mr. Kofi Kumi, a retired teacher, he does not see eye to eye with the decision of the government to stop doling out allowance to teacher trainees, most of whom are from poor homes and the allowance is the only thing that can push them through education. He asked, “Will the government scrap allowances of all analogous institutions including health trainers, security services recruits, and even government appointees that receive allowances while under training? The importance of education to national development of the country cannot be over-emphasized. It is often said that education is the bedrock of every society and any nation that puts education first in this 21st century is more likely to build prosperous, healthy and equitable society for all. In other words, education is vital to building a society where individuals are equipped with skills to navigate in a fast–changing technological world. However, government and other educational stakeholders must take a critical, second look at the decision to scrap teacher trainee allowances, considering the important role these trained teachers have played and continue to play in the overall national development of the country. Since primary school education is generally recognized as an important phase in a child life, it is important that teachers who lay the foundation for the child’s learning are given the needed respect, recognition and motivation. As the Holy Bible says, if the foundation is weak, what can the righteous do? It is only when children are given a firm foundation through education and a broad exposure to a range of activities for them to discover their talents and interest that they can contribute meaningfully to national development. Thus, having realized their full potential, they become leaders of the generation to come. That is why governments all over the world particularly those of developing countries have invested and continue to invest at least 5 or 6 % of their national Growth Domestic Products(GDP) in education. Investing in human capital is crucial in this 21st Century as it brings about social change and creates opportunities for children to fulfil their dreams and become well-rounded individuals who can confront the challenges of today’s world. That notwithstanding, if teachers who are facilitators of learning are relegated to the background then there can’t be any significant progress in education and society stands to lose big time! Without teachers, there cannot be meaningful reforms in education. In fact, teachers deserve to be respected, recognized and motivated to deliver! A Daily Graphic publication of Thursday August 15, 2013 reported that an estimated 33,185 teachers have abandoned their classrooms in search of greener pastures elsewhere. This was made known in an address when the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mrs. Irene Duncan-Adanusa, spoke at their Fourth Ashanti Regional Quadrennial Conference in Kumasi. This state of affairs is not only worrying and disturbing but also a disincentive to government’s efforts to make education which is already in crisis, accessible to all and sundry. Even with the teacher trainee allowances in place, millions of children cannot read, write or count well, even those with junior high level education. The best investment we can make as a nation is not to abolish the meagre allowance enjoyed by these teacher trainees but to continue to support teacher trainees with allowances that will enable them to meet their needs and other pressing academic obligations. But for the provision of teacher trainee allowances, many dreams and hopes would have been shattered and many more teachers today would have ended up as school dropouts parading the streets unemployed and engaging in all forms of social vices. Many poor parents struggle to get their wards into Colleges of Education with the hope that they will receive some allowances to fend themselves and take care of other basic needs thereby lessening financial burden on the family. After Government using taxes to subsidize their education, teacher trainees are posted to the most deprived and remote rural communities, where social amenities are non-existent, to serve the country. Sometimes, they walk two or three hours to get to school. Not to talk about frustrations they endure just to receive their first pay. Since it is the responsibility of Government to put every child in school and improve the quality of learning in all levels of education, and parents want their children in school so as to achieve their aim in life, teachers must be motivated to give their best in preparing children for the future. This calls for a rethink of scrapping training allowances enjoyed by teacher trainees. Let us as a nation sustain the policy of teacher trainee allowances in the interest of the country. George Oko Mensah is a student of Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ).