Teachers seeking study leave with pay should secure bank guarantees since they refuse to serve their bonds and pay back the money- PAC  

Mr Kofi Okyere Agyekum, the Ranking Member on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, has reminded teachers seeking study leave with pay to secure guarantee from the banks to show their commitment to serving their bonds or paying back to the government chest.

More often than not, beneficiaries of the Study Leave with Pay Scheme by the Ghana Education Service (GES) refused to serve their bonds and pay back the money to the Government, he said.

He was of the opinion that when the banks were involved before the leave was granted, it would be easier to retrieve their monies from the beneficiaries.

Mr Agyekum said the Committee had made the recommendation in its 2022 report, but the Auditor-General continued to capture such irregularities in its annual reports.

The Ranking Member made these remarks at the commencement of the PAC Zonal Public Hearing in Tamale, a statement issued by the Media Department of Parliament, copied to the Ghana News Agency said on Wednesday.

The meeting was to consider the 2022 Auditor-General's Reports on the Public Accounts of Ghana – Technical Universities and Polytechnics – for the period ended 31 December 2022.

The committee also considered the Pre-University Educational Institutions for the year ending 31 December 2022.

Dr James Klutse-Avedzi, the Chairman of PAC, noted that study leave with pay helped the teachers to acquire additional skills in their field; however, some of the beneficiaries were abusing it and making it a disincentive to the Government.

The Tamale and Bolgatanga Technical Universities also appeared before the Committee.

Concerning the Auditor-General's report on Pre- University Educational Institutions, the Bagabaga, St John Bosco, and Nusrat Jahan Ahmadiyya Colleges of Education also appeared before the Committee.

GNA