PAC Orders GES Staff to Refund Over GH₵18,000 Unearned Salary Paid to Former Bassa Community SHS Staff Within 30 Days
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has ordered a GES district official to refund over GH₵18,000 in unearned salary paid to a former staff member of Basa Community School
- PAC orders GES district official to refund GH₵18,000+ unearned salary within 30 days
- The payment was made to Mr. Koampah Isaac, who had vacated his post but still received salaries
- The hearing also highlighted Buffer Stock supply concerns and CHASS interventions
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has ordered a Ghana Education Service (GES) district-level staff member to refund over GH₵18,000 in unearned salary paid to a former staff member of Bassa Community Senior High School in the Bono East Region within 30 days, following findings from the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report.
The directive was issued on Day 4 of the Committee’s sitting in Kumasi as part of its ongoing public hearings in the Ashanti Region.
The Committee revealed that the payment was made to Mr. Koampah Isaac, a Principal Superintendent who had vacated his post but continued to receive salaries.
He was found to have received GH₵18,260.82 between November 2023 and February 2024.
The Committee noted that the amount should be recovered and paid into the Auditor-General’s recovery account.
However, the Headmaster of Bassa Community Senior High School, Mr. Basiru Sofiano, told the Committee that the validation of the payments was not done at the school level but rather by the District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service.
Following this clarification, the PAC directed that the GES district official responsible for the validation should personally refund the amount within 30 days.
Buffer Stock and CHASS Concerns
The hearing also examined issues relating to the supply of foodstuffs to schools. Mr. Sofiano explained that upon receipt of the audit findings, the school contacted the Buffer Stock Company and informed them of the issues raised regarding supplies.
He added that, in practice, food deliveries from Buffer Stock are accompanied by wage bills, and schools are often required to report with the items.
According to him, these challenges were escalated to the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), which wrote to the Buffer Stock Company on behalf of affected schools.
The Bono East CHASS Chairman, Vardy Alima, told the Committee that the issue was widespread across schools.
He said CHASS had written through the Regional Free SHS Coordinator requesting that, instead of wage bills, invoices for food items should be provided to ensure proper documentation.
Member of the Committee, Hon. Shirley Kyei, questioned CHASS on efforts made to secure a response.
In reply, the Chairman said they were putting pressure on the Regional Coordinator to follow up on the matter.
Auditors at the hearing encouraged CHASS to intensify their efforts, stressing that the essence of the audit findings is to ensure proper accountability and accurate financial reporting.
The Committee, led by Hon. Abena Osei-Asare, indicated that members would also jointly write to the Buffer Stock Company to expedite action on the concerns raised.
The Kumasi hearing forms part of the second zonal public hearing in the Ashanti Region, as the Public Accounts Committee continues its scrutiny of findings captured in the 2024 Auditor-General’s Report.
The ongoing exercise targets Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), as well as public basic and secondary schools, in a bid to address financial irregularities and strengthen accountability in the management of public funds.
