A deputy ranking member of parliament’s education committee, Clement Apaak, has warned that the ruling government will leave behind a huge debt in the education sector.
Dr. Apaak, who is also the Member of Parliament for Builsa South, accused the government of being insincere and dishonest with regards to matters relating to the sector.
He advised the government to provide clarity on the total number of tablets procured for senior high school (SHS) students.
He first raised concerns over the failure of the government to pay the supplier of the free tablets under the free senior high school policy.
According to him, conflicting reports about the quantity of tablets are concerning, and he warned that the government could leave office with a substantial debt in the education sector.
Speaking at a press conference in parliament on August 22, 2024, Clement Apaak stated, “We are not against the distribution of tablets to SHS students. The NDC was implementing a similar policy. However, it is problematic when the government makes untrue claims, such as having procured and supplied 900,000 tablets, when that is not the case.
‘’What is the point in making claims that are not true? Why do you announce to the whole world that you have procured and distributed 900,000 tablets when that is not the case? And why is the government, through the ministry, failing to do the needful even as requested by the Speaker of Parliament?’’
He was worried that the ruling NPP is going to leave power with a huge debt in the education sector, not limited to the tablet initiative but also suppliers of food items, school uniforms, sports apparel, and stationary.
He advised the government to be honest, sincere, and transparent in what it does and has not done.
‘’So if this government wants Ghanaians to take it seriously, then it must meet its obligations to all suppliers.’’
On the issue of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and matters relating to its budgetary allocations, he said it is a shame and we ought to be embarrassed that the government owes WAEC to the extent that it is incapable of fulfilling its obligations as far as its core duties are concerned.The further disruption of the academic calendar, he argued, would not bode well for the education of our young ones, adding that BECE is in arrears in terms of the amount the government is supposed to pay while expressing concerns about the delay in the marking of the WASSCE for school candidates to sue for the failure of the government to release funds to WAEC to conduct its activities.‘’So we believe it is our responsibility to draw attention to these issues with the hope that the government will do the needful.
A government that can find money in excess of Ghc300 million ostensibly to construct a cathedral, a government that can give away about 12 million dollars to a contractor for no work done at the Pwalugu dam, a government that can employ a CEO and a staff for the construction of the Keta Port for seven years for which we have seen nothing certainly must be able to find the money to address these very pressing issues, and these are the very issues Ghanaians care about.’’
By: Rainbowradioinline.com/Ghana
