Financial security of tutors in Ghanaian colleges of education; a pre-retirement and post-retirement analysis

Abstract

Our study sought to explore the pre-retirement and post-retirement housing and healthcare plans made by some tutors of colleges of education in Ghana by employing a qualitative descriptive design to delve into the pre-retirement and post-retirement housing and healthcare plans made by tutors. Six (6) out of the 54 college tutors were purposefully recruited for an interview, and 54 college tutors from two (2) institutions of education were chosen for the survey using stratified and simple random sampling procedures. Frequency counts, percentages, and inferential statistics (independent samples test) were used to analyze the data obtained from the self-developed questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.78), and themes were identified from the respondents’ responses using thematic analysis. The results from the research revealed that almost half (43%) of the sampled population had some sort of accommodation they were going to retire with, while a majority who did not own any housing property yet said they were making plans to acquire one before they go on retirement or shortly after they go on retirement. The study also found that all participants had some form of healthcare insurance coverage, with the majority subscribing to the public healthcare scheme–the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The study suggested that to implement financial investment plans for tutors in addition to public pension schemes for a better-secured post-retirement life, teacher unions, employers, and other stakeholders in Ghana should hire the services of professional financial services advisors and investment institutions.