MP Fights Minister Over Teachers Salaries

Prof Jane Naana Opoku- Agyemang, Minister of Education

Prof Jane Naana Opoku- Agyemang, Minister of Education

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Lower Hemang Denkyira in the Central Region, Joseph Foster Andoh put his own government on the spot when he posed a question to a Deputy Minister of Education, Alex Kyeremeh in Parliament as to why the NDC government has refused to pay 14 untrained teachers, popularly known as 'pupil teachers' in his constituency since 2009.

The deputy minister, in answering his question, said the payment of the salaries of the affected untrained teachers delayed because of controversy over their recruitment by the former District Director of Education, who started the process and the new District Director of Education who took over from the old one.

He however said that input forms for these teachers had finally been processed by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and staff identification numbers had been generated for 12 out of the 14 teachers who had been confirmed to be at post.

According to him, as part of the requirement specified in the 2014 budget guidelines, financial clearance is being sought from the Ministry of Finance to enable the Controller and Accountant-General's Department to complete validation process and commence payment of the salaries.

The NDC MP, who was obviously worried over the fate of the 'pupil teachers,' enquired from the minister when exactly the payment would be effected but the deputy minister said the process is being fast-tracked so that as soon as practicable the payment would be made by the Controller and Accountant-General's Department.

By Thomas Fosu Jnr