The Headmaster and store keeper of the Peki Senior High School (PESCO) have been summoned by the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) over the alleged diversion of food items meant for students.
The items were allegedly diverted to pacify an auditor.
The two were summoned last Monday, January 13, 2020, three days after the alleged food diversion incident occurred on Friday January 10, 2020.
Details of the nature of their interactions have not been made available, but sources close to the GES say, the Director General was not happy about the incident.
The two who returned from Accra last Tuesday, January 14, immediately reported themselves to the Volta Regional police command where they were interrogated.
The Public Relations Officer of the Volta Police Command, Corporal Prince Dogbatse, said the two suspects after giving their caution statements were granted bail amounting to GHC20.000.00 with a surety each.
The bail condition is the same as the one given to the five suspects who were bailed earlier.
According to him, the school’s driver was arrested that same day (Friday, January 10, 2020) the food items were intercepted.
The internal auditor of the GES and the school’s bursar also turned themselves in that same evening while the chief driver and matron were arrested last Monday, 13 January 2020.
All five were subsequently bailed that Monday.
This brings to seven the number of people who have so far been invited by the Police of the food items which is estimated to cost thousands of Ghana cedis and could feed about 200 students for a week. They include, bags of rice, bags of maize, cartons of milk, cartons of tomato paste, two 2.5 litre gallons of oil, school’s branded stationery among others.
The PRO assured that command is committed to getting to bottom of the matter and appealed with the public to exercise restraint as the Police does its work. He said should there be adequate evidence, those found culpable will surely be arraigned.
Meanwhile, the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sub-Platform 4 which advocates for quality education for all have condemned the alleged diversion of food meant for PESCO students to pacify an auditor who is paid and by the state.
A statement by the group’s Communication Directorate said, if the claims are true, then they consider the act by the school and the auditor to be unfortunate and unprofessional to say the least. Particular when the action could deny students food which is very essential to quality secondary education. This can jeopardise the Free Senior High School policy which is giving access to thousands of young Ghanaian students who could have never had the opportunity to be in school, the statement noted.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (k.duodu@yahoo.com)