Deputy Ranking Member on the Ghanaian Parliament’s Education Committee, Dr. Clement Abass Apaak, says the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, must resign over alleged fraudulent acts in connection with placement of students into prestigious senior high schools they did not qualify for admission.
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, was named as a culprit in the alleged fraudulent placement of students into prestigious senior high schools they did not qualify for admission.
According to the Fourth Estate, a fraudulent payment made for the placement of a student into a category “A” school in 2022 was traced to the login access of the Education Minister.
Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, who was the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) at the time of the placement and the meeting of the Ministry of Education’s investigative committee to look into allegations of corruption in the school placement, said this in his testimony.
The report indicated that Prof. Opoku-Amankwa was also one of only two persons with unfettered access to the computer system and could place or approve student placement in category “A” schools.
Access to protocol placement into the most prestigious senior high schools was limited to the Minister of Education and the Director General of the GES to curb the payment of money for placement into category “A” schools.
Even though there was a rule against corruption, it still happened in Ghana’s best schools, so the Ministry of Education set up a committee. The committee was set up after the Ministry of National Security wrote to complain about allegations of corruption in the system.
The report of the six-member committee, which The Fourth Estate has exclusive access to, states: “He [Prof. Opoku-Amankwa] sighted [sic] an example in one of the cases where it was reported that an amount of GHS 7,000 had been charged to place someone at Wesley Girls or Achimota School. A probe using the log report on the system showed that it was done with the Hon. Minister’s access, which was being handled by Ms. Vera Amoah.
The report added that, “Prof Amankwah went on to say that subsequently, his permission to the log port on the placement system was blocked and so could not trace and act on complaints that came in thereafter.”
The committee spoke to Dr. Adutwum after taking Prof. Amankwa’s testimony, but the report does not state whether or not the minister denied the GES Director-General’s assertion that a fraudulent transaction was traced to his account.
Read Also: Atinka Kids Dance: Auditions start 11th and 12th February at AMV’s Sika Hall
Speaking on Atinka FM‘s morning show, AM Drive with Kaaakyire Ofori Ayim, Dr. Clement Abass Apaak said it was hard to believe the Minister did not have a hand in the act since his account was used for it.
If not, he questioned why the Minister failed to point who he gave access to his code to.
“When you look at the report, it is very difficult to believe that the minister can be innocent about what happened because, first of all, it is your code, so if it is not you, you gave it to someone, who is the person you gave it to?” Why can’t you say who you gave your code to? “Why do you seek to protect somebody who has done wrong, using your code?”
Dr. Clement Abass Apaak continued, “Where we have gotten to, I believe the Minister ought to resign and hand over the issue to the office of the Special Prosecutor.”
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori