The Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has revealed that the Tempane District Director of Education, Rashid Tee Anaffu, is being investigated in connection with a scandal that broke out last month.
The director had admitted— in the midst of some extortion allegations levelled against him by several residents of the district— that he demanded money from some public schools in Tempane in order to pay the hotel, fuel and lunch bills of some auditors.
“When we got letters that auditors were coming to audit their books, they would want to go to every school. Not only GALOP (Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project) schools, but every school. Now, other schools like JSS and those that are non-GALOP, none have the money. So, I called the GALOP school heads and told them that they should find a way to raise money so that we can take care of these auditors.
“Because they come with their cars, they would need fuel, they would need a place to sleep, they would need lunch. I called them and we agreed on the amount each school should contribute, depending on the quantum of money in your account. Some received more than Gh¢3,000.00,” he told journalists.
The district director further stated that he asked schools that received more than Gh¢3,000.00 to give Gh¢200, those that received between Gh¢2,000.00 and Gh¢3,000.00 to contribute Gh¢150 and those who had between Gh¢1,000.00 and Gh¢1,500.00 to offer Gh¢50.
“We even agreed on the literature, how to phrase it. And I said when I invite you to my office for an official meeting, you are entitled to Gh¢50— Gh¢30 for your fuel, Gh¢20 for your lunch. This is an expenditure that we must meet. So, go back and write that the number of times I invited you to my office and you didn’t take lunch was four times so that you could raise Gh¢200 each.
“Keep the money; I won’t be around. When the auditors come, you would call the human resource manager and you would see how you can attend to them. I just [came] back from Ouagadougou when the human resource manager called that the first team of auditors had come; they had started working; they were seeking fuel of 30 gallons; one of them was staying in a guest house here; they needed daily ration of food,” the director said.
He added: “So, they spent from the sports money for them to do their work for one week. They have since presented their report. But I have asked them to synthesise the report on the errors that we would have committed on our SPIPs so that I would invite all the heads for the two auditors who went through their books to give them an orientation and point out the common errors that they’ve been committing”.
When Media Without Borders engaged the Minister for Education on the matter, he said: “We are investigating”.
The allegations that made director to reveal hidden scandal
The director’s revelation came up after some residents staged a demonstration in the district, calling for his immediate removal from office for alleged misconduct and poor leadership.
“Specific instance is the demand by the director for SPIPS (School Performance Improvement Plans) of GH¢200.00 from each of the forty-seven Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP) schools amounting to GH¢9,400 for internal auditing purposes on 16 April, 2024.
“He failed to conduct examinations sponsored by GES headquarters in the 2022/2023 academic year termly. He extorted from parents an amount of Gh¢20.00 per student for other examinations organised and supervised by the directorate because of financial benefits but uses printing machines and materials in the office provided by government,” the demonstrators had said in a statement issued by the lead convener, Robert Awini, on Wednesday, 22 May 2024.
In addition to the demand for the removal of the director and some other officers in the district, the petitioners also asked for the appointment of an interim director “to restore confidence and stability” in the district.
They further called for “an independent audit of the district’s administrative practices and implementation of robust oversight mechanisms by the District Education Oversight Committee (DEOC) to prevent future misconduct”.
“The Director’s actions have eroded confidence in the district’s administration, creating a climate of distrust and disillusionment among stakeholders. The current situation is unacceptable.
“Our children and community deserve leaders who uphold the highest standards of integrity and are committed to the success and safety of our teachers and students. We are calling for Mr Tee Rashid Anaffu and his allies to be removed from their positions immediately to allow sanity to prevail in the district directorate,” they emphasised.
The director subsequently told Media Without Borders all the allegations the petitioners levelled against him were unfounded.
He further stated that the protesters were not members of the district, contrary to their claim. He said they came to Tempane from the surrounding districts to incite the protest against him.
But Awini maintained that the demonstrators were concerned members of the district.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana
