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The Ministry of Education says it will settle the book and research allowances of the Polytechnic Teachers Associations of Ghana (POTAG) in September this year. According to the Ministry, POTAG�s current strike is illegal because the allowances are supposed to be paid in September every year. �For the 2013/2014 academic year let nobody speak as if government has derelict its responsibility; we are not even there yet,�� Deputy Minister of Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said. According to him the action of POTAG is premature. ��What happened was a pre-emptive strike; it was so pre-mature�,�� he noted. A Deputy Minister of Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa made this known while addressing national executives of the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) who presented an appeal to put an end to POTAG�s strike. �This strike was declared as far back as almost two months ago, when it was not time to pay the book and research allowance; it was not time to pay and it�s still not time to pay,�� the Minister added. He told the students that the research allowance is paid once a year, in September/November. Meanwhile, the National President of POTAG, James Dugura, in an interview with Citi News refuted the claims by government and expressed surprise at the comments made by the Deputy Minister.