The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has ordered the recovery of GHC17,703.28 wrongly paid to a Donkorkrom teacher, Stephen Akomeah, who for three years received transport allowance reserved for physically challenged teachers despite having no disabilities.
The revelation came during PAC’s sitting on Friday, August 22, after the Auditor-General’s report flagged the irregularity. Mr. Akomeah was found to have benefitted from the allowance, which is meant to cushion teachers with disabilities in meeting their transport needs.
Deputy Minister of Education, Clement Apaak, described the case as a serious act of criminality that should have been reported earlier. He expressed concern over systemic lapses that allowed such wrongful payments to go undetected.
“Madam Chair, these are very worrying exposés — a clear act of criminality in the first instance which ought to have been reported. We should have a record of this at the Ministry, I haven’t seen one. Because for a headmaster to validate himself and take a higher pay is clearly criminal, and now we have an instance of somebody being presented as a person with disability when it is not the case, both are very offensive. I have taken due notice of these two occurrences. I am very grateful,” he told the Committee.
Following the Deputy Minister’s remarks, Committee Chair Abena Osei Asare directed the Donkorkrom District Education Director and the District Accountant to recover the full amount within 30 days.
“That notwithstanding we want the money recovered and so madam District Director of Education and your Accountant, we ask that within 30 days a GHC17,703.28 must be paid into the Auditor General’s Recovery Account,” she ordered.
