Accra, Sept. 6, GNA - Mrs. Oboshie Sai-Cofie, Minister of Information and National Orientation, on Thursday said teachers under the present government were better off than during the era of the previous administration.

Expressing regrets about some statement made by Professor Atta Mills, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during his latest "door-to-door" campaign at Teshie, she said there were a lot of things that teachers could do with their salary, including clothing and rent.

In a statement signed by Mrs Sai-Cofie, she said it was unfortunate that Prof. Mills, a former Vice-President could hide behind the cloak of party politics and try to throw dust into the eyes of the public by intimating that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) was not committed to the welfare of teachers and had not done much to help.

She said the statement by Prof. Mills was without merit and could not stand any critical analysis from the facts on the ground. "What the facts tell us is that the welfare of the teachers, and indeed the entire Ghanaian populace, has been enhanced under the NPP Administration."

She cited figures in December 1993 under the NDC government when the annual salary of a "Certificate A" holder was 663,781.00 cedis, equivalent to 830.00 dollars.

In January 2007, under the NPP, a Certificate A holder's annual salary had reached 17,04,227 cedis, equivalent to 1,851.00 dollars, adding that this had increased to 20,961,311 cedis or 2,264.00 dollars by April 2007.

"But government does not feel complacent about this and wants to do more. It is the reason we are also assisting the Ghana National Association of Teachers to clear their vehicles without paying duties on them."

Mrs. Sai-Cofie said that teachers' bungalows were being built in various parts of the country, while houses were also being allocated to teachers under the affordable housing scheme.

She said government would continue to support teachers in all aspects of their endeavours due to the crucial role they played in the socio-economic growth of the country.