Adoa News Adoa News
The Deputy Minister for Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has disclosed that an audit prevented a potential loss of more than GHS159 million in allowances intended for teacher trainees under the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
According to the Deputy Minister, the Ministry of Education had reported unpaid allowances totaling GHS160 million for teacher trainees.
However, when auditors engaged GTEC, the commission confirmed that as of December 2024, there were no outstanding arrears.
Speaking in the chamber of the Parliament of Ghana on Tuesday, March 10, Mr. Nyarko Ampem explained that the audit uncovered discrepancies that could have resulted in duplicate payments.
He noted that GHS6.1 million appeared on the Ministry of Education’s Bank Transfer Advices (BTA) schedule at the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, even though the same funds had already been paid by a donor partner.
“The Ministry of Education reported unpaid allowances totaling GHS160 million to teacher trainees under the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission. When auditors engaged GTEC, the agency confirmed that as of December 2024 there were no outstanding arrears. Over GHS159 million would have been lost but for this audit,” he said.
“An amount of GHS6.1 million appeared on the Ministry of Education’s BTA schedule at the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department even though the same funds had been paid by a donor partner,” he added.
Mr. Nyarko Ampem warned that such entries could open the door for double payments and expose weaknesses in financial oversight and coordination between donor contributions and government records.
He emphasised that the findings highlight the need for stronger monitoring systems and better coordination between government agencies and development partners to prevent financial mismanagement in the education sector.