Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare has commended the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Education Service (GES) for probing into the case of fifty-three headmasters alleged to have been involved in Free SHS Feeding programme corruption.
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Kofi Asare says he is especially grateful to these institutions for taking this step as cases of corruption in the Free SHS Feeding programme has been ongoing for a long time.
The Executive Director, in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, expressed: “I will commend the CID, the Ghana Education Service particularly and Buffer stock for not hiding these allegations and making the move to investigate allegations of corruption to bring those culpable of the irregularity to book”.
In his submission, Kofi Asare shared that as far back as 2018, there were cases of corruption where suppliers of food items will bring less than what they account for on paper while receiving the full amount of money. According to him, they then share the profits they make with heads of schools they supply to.
“There are issues but today I am happy that it has gotten to the magnitude that they [GES] have seen that they must delve much deeper to put their house in order”, he added.
Background
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has commenced investigations into over 50 schools in the Ashanti Region believed to be engaged in corruption in the implementation of the School Feeding Programme under the Free Senior High School Policy.
While not much information has been provided, it is understood that officials of some schools have in the past been involved in acts of exchanging food for cash.
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Following this decision to investigate these heads, the CID has written to notify the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ashanti Region directorate of the ongoing investigations.
Meanwhile, all District directors of education have been asked to release headmasters, headmistresses, assistant heads, domestic bursars, accountants, and storekeepers who may be required to assist in the investigations.