The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has ordered the recovery of GH¢17,703.28 unlawfully paid to a Donkorkrom teacher, Stephen Akomeah, who for three years drew a transport allowance reserved for physically challenged teachers despite having no disability.
The irregular payment was exposed during PAC’s sitting on Friday, August 22, after it was flagged in the Auditor-General’s report. The allowance is intended to support teachers with disabilities in meeting transport expenses.
Deputy Minister of Education, Clement Apaak, condemned the incident as a serious act of criminality that should have been reported long ago. He also criticised systemic failures that enabled the wrongful payments to go undetected.
“These are very worrying exposés — a clear act of criminality in the first instance which ought to have been reported. For a headmaster to validate himself and take a higher pay is clearly criminal, and now we have someone presented as a person with disability when that is not the case. Both are very offensive,” he told the Committee.
PAC Chairperson Abena Osei Asare subsequently directed the Donkorkrom District Education Director and the District Accountant to ensure that the full amount is refunded within 30 days.
“We want the money recovered, and so Madam District Director of Education and your Accountant, we ask that within 30 days GH¢17,703.28 must be paid into the Auditor-General’s Recovery Account,” she ruled.
