PAC sitting at Sunyani turns dramatic

• PAC is in Sunyani to investigate portions of the Auditor-General’s report on schools

• Two persons who had been scheduled for Friday were called impromptu to respond to some concerns

• PAC is sitting for a week on the matter

This past Monday, there was drama at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sitting at Sunyani when a former Headmaster of the Nkoranman Senior High School at Seikwa in the Tain District, Joseph Budu, and a retired accountant, Ransford Boahen, were compelled to give evidence about some financial infractions during their tenure of office.

This was only necessitated after the two were spotted in the audience listening to the proceedings, graphic.com.gh has reported.

This was beside the fact that Dr. James Klutse Avedzi, PAC’s Chairman, had already directed that the two, as well as the secretary of the headmaster of the Nkoranman SHS, Rebecca Owusu, be hauled before the committee on Friday.

But, having been informed by a member of the Committee, and a Deputy Minister of Education, Gifty Twum Ampofo, that the two were in the sitting that day, the PAC Chairman decided to interrogate them right there.

This, however, did not turn out as expected, bringing some drama to the sitting of the day.

PAC is in Sunyani to investigate claims made in the Auditor General’s report that 335 students of the Nkoranman SHS had their names in the school’s enrolment list but were not in the students’ ledgers.

Also, the Committee is looking into some 29 receipts for fees totaling GH¢12,604.30 supposedly paid by 12 students whose names were not in the students’ ledger. These receipts, however, did not form part of the school’s income for the 2017 financial year, the report added.

The report explained that those receipts, which were not recorded in the stock register and cash books, differed from the regular official receipts usually issued by the accountant and his assistants.

Additionally, the report indicated that while auditors had been informed that there were 186 students on scholarship in the school, no evidence showed the existence of that scheme (Scholarship for Needy Brilliant Students), or, the Scholarship Secretariat’s approval of such.

Also captured in the audit report was that, two of the students on the supposed scholarship presented evidence of payment of fees amounting to GH¢2,804.70 but the report showed no evidence of such a thing.

The week-long PAC sitting in Sunyani was to deal with the report of the Auditor-General on pre-tertiary institutions and technical universities in the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo and Ashanti regions for the financial year ending December 31, 2017.