The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has instructed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to look into the actions of 18 teachers from Amansie Central who promoted themselves improperly, bypassing the established GES regulations.
According to a report from the Amansie Central Education Directorate, these teachers advanced their positions without the necessary qualifications and subsequently received unauthorized salary increases. This breach has resulted in a financial loss of GH¢188,000 to the government.
Vincent Ben Ameyaw, the District Education Director for Amansie Central, reported that GH¢34,000 of the embezzled funds have been recovered thus far. Efforts are ongoing to retrieve the remaining balance.
“We have successfully reclaimed GH¢34,731.53. However, GH¢152,966.54 is still outstanding, and we are actively working to recover this amount,” said Mr. Ameyaw.
He clarified that the promotion of these teachers was not sanctioned by the official channels of the education office. Instead, the upgrades were executed through unauthorized means, which he described as a “backdoor affair.”
The PAC’s directive for a thorough investigation underscores the seriousness of the issue and aims to address the financial irregularities and misuse of the promotion system within the GES.
Mr. Ameyaw emphasized that the self-promotions were executed without any official endorsement or approval from the educational authorities, highlighting a significant breach of protocol.
The ongoing recovery efforts and investigation seek to ensure accountability and prevent similar incidents in the future, reinforcing the integrity of the GES’s promotion procedures.
