STUDY LEAVE WITH PAY 2023/2024
With various universities beginning to open admissions for 2023/2024 academic year, Study Leave With Pay applicants for 2023/2024 academic year are getting ready to put in their applications.
To verify whether an applicant got Study Leave or not, the applicant is expected to show proof of admission into the university and also demonstrate that he or she has not upgraded him/herself with another degree.
The applicant therefore must show his or her upgrading or promotion letter to indicate that he or she is not already placed on Principal Superintendent.
If however, the individual is on the PS Rank but got to that rank through long service, then he or show may still be allowed to pursue the course at the University.
Securing university admission is not automatic qualification for study leave as the given quota to various regions is always lower than the number of applications.
This imply that, applicants with longer years of service, stationed in remote areas and applying for critical areas of less competition stand a greater chance of getting it than those with less years of service and applying in a highly competitive area where many teachers compete for few slots available.
So the mere being on three, four, five or six years of service is no guarantee for study leave if the number of applicants are far more than the percentage quota allotted for that course. Many factors come into play to determine who gets the leave.
Although practices vary across the regions, for most places, applicants are to check their status at the Regional Directorates specifically the Human Resource Department.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
Every year Ghana Education gives serving teachers the opportunity to go on Study Leave to upgrade themselves in the teaching profession.
The study Leave with Pay offer gives teachers the opportunity of switching courses and going in a different area of study. Study Leave is one of the benefits or conditions of service that serving teachers can benefit from to further their studies while receiving full salaries for all the duration of the course. Many teachers have been asking about the processes involved in the application and issuance of study Leave by the Ghana Education Service.
We have taken time to outline the processes involved and how to apply for Study Leave.
- Before the process starts : before GES officially opens the study leave process, needs assessment is conducted to reveal which areas of teaching has a deficit. Approved courses are only issued after careful needs assessment is done. Various regional Directorates are given the opportunity to make inputs about what subjects areas is in short supply in that region.
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- After needs assessment, Approved Courses are issued. Approved Courses could always vary depending on what subjects are critically needed in the profession. The approved courses are then Circulated to the various Regional Directorates and descended to to District level for interested teachers to be guided on what subjects are approved. Many teachers make the mistake of thinking that approved courses are the same every year which is very different. Though some courses like English, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology are always on the approved list. ICT, vocational courses, technical courses may be part of the approved list based on the outcome of the needs assessment.
Opening of Study Leave Application: After study Leave approved courses are Circulated, the process of application is opened for interested teachers to apply at the District Level. Study Leave is applied at the District Level before a compilation is forwarded to the Regional Directorate through a Template. The application is done with a study leave form which can be obtained at the various district Directorate through the HR Department or Study Leave Officer. The application must be completed and submitted to the districts with the necessary attachments. Before the application, the applicant should have purchased admission forms and chosen one of the approved courses by GES.
The Applications are compiled by the Districts and forwarded to their Regional Directorates for a regional compilation.
Study Leave directives from Accra comes with a given quota to the various regions. Each Region is given a quota out of the National Figure. Eg. If for that particular year, five thousand teachers will be considered for study leave, the quota will be allotted to the Regions based on population of Teachers in the region.
The Regions will then make the decision on which people will be chosen as study leave Beneficiaries. The Beneficiaries must then produce their University Admission letters to confirm that they have admission indeed.
Those who are successful will then be issued with Study Leave Approval Letter endorsed by the Regional Director. Copies of the approval letter must be submitted to the District and the HeadTeacher of the school of the beneficiary to inform them that you are about to leave for school. Any asset or item in the custody of the teacher must be returned before the individual leaves for school.
The Beneficiaries will then be issued with Bond Forms which is the legal document binding the study leave Beneficiaries with government or GES that after their further studies, they will return to the classroom. The Bond Forms must be endorsed by a recommended officer and signed by the Head of Department of the beneficiary.
Two government workers must provide guarantee by serving as guarantors for the beneficiary. The guarantee affirms that there are witnesses to the bond between GES and the study leave Beneficiaries.
The Beneficiaries complete about three to four Bond Forms to be submitted to the Regional Directorate for endorsement by the Director. The Bond Forms must then be submitted to the Region, District and one personal copy.
Qualification
For serving teachers to qualify for study Leave with pay, they must have served a minimum of three years continuously in the service. In some instance, those who have served in deprived areas or communities could be permitted to apply after two years of continued service.
Because of the possibility that the number of applicants may always be more than the given quota to the Region, it is highly possible that one could have served for three to five or six years and still not be able to secure study Leave. The number of applicants and their years of service could affect those with minimum years of service.
Applicants should not be in haste to pay admission fees just because you have applied for it. Many applicants end up not going to the school after paying for their admission and hostel fees.
Because competition for study leave is very keen, applying for a critical course area where the competition could make one’s chances brighter compared to other courses.
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