Refund money collected from teachers, BECE candidates

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Nkwanta-North District in the Volta Region, Mr Jackson Jakayi, has given a one-week ultimatum to the District Directorate of Education to refund all money that were collected from applicants in the recent teacher recruitment exercise in the district.

He has also asked the Ghana Education Service (GES) office to refund money that had been collected from final-year students in basic schools for their registration for the 2018 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The directive followed an emergency stakeholders' meeting that was held at the Palace of the Chief of Kpassa, Ubor Konja Tassan VI, in the aftermath of a Daily Graphic publication of October 23, 2017, that alleged that the directorate had extorted money from prospective teachers in the area.

Extortion of money

The publication said the district education directorate had allegedly extorted money amounting to GH¢72,900 in a recruitment exercise that was shrouded in shady deals.

According to the publication, investigations by the paper revealed that 540 persons who applied to be recruited as teachers to fill vacancies in the classroom were made to pay GH¢135 each for the verification of their certificates and a selection interview.

The report set the authorities in the district on the path to unravel the alleged collection of money at the district education directorate.

Action

Speaking to the Daily Graphic yesterday, Mr Jakayi said the District Director of Education, Mr Maxwell Gyambiby-Ashong, and the Officer in charge of Planning at the education office, Mr Mark Ujakpa, were summoned to the Palace of Ubor Konja and questioned about the allegation concerning the money collected by the directorate.

He said there were indications that the collection of the money might have occurred at the directorate, describing the development as worrying.

"We resolved at the stakeholders' meeting to give the education directorate one week to refund all money that were illegally collected from the applicants. They are also required to refund the money they collected from pupils registration fees for the 2018 BECE and wait for the right time,” the DCE said.

Mr Jakayi said there would be further consultations with key stakeholders, including head teachers, chiefs and assembly members, to deal with the issue.

"We are not taking this issue lightly at all because it is affecting the image of the district and the standard of education as well.

"A committee has been set up to look into the issues and I assure the public that at the right time, all officials found to have carried out any illegality will be handed over to the law enforcement agencies for the law to be applied accordingly," he added.

Response

Meanwhile, Mr Gyambiby- Ashong, who had initially agreed to speak to the Daily Graphic on the issue failed to answer phone calls that were placed to him. Mr Ujakpa, however, confirmed that the DCE had asked the district education directorate to refund any money that had been collected illegally.

On the collection of fees from prospective BECE candidates although the time was not ripe, he said the decision to do so was to prevent delays in the registration process as had been the case over the years.