Anthony Boateng, Deputy Director General of GES
Some 53 Senior High Schools in the Ashanti Region are being investigated by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service over alleged corruption relating to the supply of food items to their schools.
A letter addressed to the Ashanti Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), and signed by Anthony Boateng, Deputy Director General of GES, asked the regional directorate to “cooperate and collaborate fully with the CID in carrying out the investigations.”
Respective District Directors of Education have also been asked to release the Headmaster/Mistress or the Assistants, Domestic Bursars, Accountants and Storekeepers of the affected schools to the CID for the investigations.
“It will be appreciated if your office could co-operate and collaborate fully with the CID in carrying out the investigations,” the letter stressed.
The affected schools include Afia Serwaa Kobi Ampem SHS, Adu Gyamfi SHS, Kumasi Anglican, Kumasi Girls, Kumasi Wesley Girls, KNUST SHS, Opoku Ware SHS, Osei Tutu SHS, Prempeh College, Kumasi Academy and Kumasi Technical Institute.
Stealing food items
Alleged stealing of food items appear common in some senior high schools in the country.
In October 2017, Police arrested the Matron of Buipe SHS for allegedly stealing food items belonging to the school. She was caught while transporting a car-load of items meant for the school. The arrest followed a combined monitoring effort from two assembly members in the area.
In 2018, a Koforidua circuit court convicted the Senior Matron of Ghana Senior High School and a driver of the GES to a total fine of GHC 17,600 for stealing food items belonging to the school.
The Matron was convicted to 700 penalty units, equivalent to GHC 8,000, in addition to an amount of GHC 6,000 to be paid into the school’s account.
Her accomplice, Alfred Kuma, the driver, was also fined 300 penalty units, an equivalent of GHC 3,600.
In the same year, Janet Sogah, the Matron of the Kade Senior High Technical School (KASSTECH), was also caught red handed stealing food from the school’s store.
Early last year, an Auditor, the Bursar and a driver of Peki Senior High School (PESCO) were also arrested by the Volta Regional Police Command for allegedly diverting food items to the auditor’s house.
The items included bags of rice, beans, corn, tins of tomatoes, milk, and jerrycans of cooking oil. There were also exercise books labelled with the name of the school among the items moved from the stores of the school to the house of the Auditor in Ho.
The items were intercepted by the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Johnson Avulete, and sent the Regional Police Command.
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