Abena Osei Asare
THE GOVERNMENT has, with immediate effect, suspended the granting of approval for post-retirement contract appointments for retiring officers.
In a statement issued recently to clarify the confusion surrounding post-retirement contracts, the Finance Ministry said such requests can only be granted in cases where the skills of the retiring officers are in short supply and unavoidably needed.
The statement, which was signed by Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei Asare, comes after teacher unions raised an objection to the post-retirement contract extension granted to the Deputy Director of Management Services at the Ghana Education Service, Anthony Boateng.
“The weekend has been inundated with concerns and agitations by the rank and file of education workers in pre-tertiary education and other stakeholders on the issue of the post-retirement contract extension granted to the Deputy Director-General (MS) of Education, and also the stay in office of other retired persons in education at the Ghana Education Service,” the unions said in a joint statement.
The unions warned that if by September 30, 2022, retired persons have not handed over their posts, their members will “disregard directives issued by these persons.”
But the Finance Ministry said it had halted financial clearance for post-retirement contract appointment, and referred to the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy which states that the government has suspended the granting of approval for post-retirement contract appointment.
In a memo dated August 5, 2022, and sent to the Ministry of Education, with copies to all chief directors, ministries, departments and agencies, the Finance Ministry again noted that it would be unable to grant financial clearance for post-retirement contract appointment.
BY Ernest Kofi Adu