The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) has begun a nationwide head count and verification of documents of teachers in government sub-vented schools, Today has learnt.
The exercise, according to sources at the Ghana Education Service (GES), was necessitated by the recent detection of over one hundred (100) teachers mostly in the Brong-Ahafo region alleged to be using fake certificates.
The detection raised alarm about the possibility of several fake teachers in the system parading as certified teachers of the GES and purporting to be educating pupils.
The GES which had admitted the recruitment of fake teachers subsequently indicated its preparedness to flush them out.
Accordingly, it has sought the support of BNI to help smoke out all such teachers who undeservedly are drawing from the public purse.
In pursuant to this it had circulated a circular to all heads of basic and senior high schools to inform their staff about an impending BNI investigation and to make available certain vital documents to help the state investigative body undertake its work.
A copy of the circular sent to District Directors of Education dated November 11, 2015 and cited byToday under the heading GES-HEAD COUNT tasked the school heads to “direct staff in your schools to make the following documents available for the exercise to be conducted by personnel from the Bureau of National Investigations(BNI): Appointment letters, Last promotion letters, Three most recent pay slips, All academic certificates (Middle School, JHS, A’ Level, SSCE/WASCE, Tertiary), any approved national ID card, SSNIT number and Bank Account details.
“Staff on study leave with or without pay, maternal leave, sick leave and other leave of absence should also present their approval letters personally to complete ‘B’ Form.”
Meanwhile staff on leave were not exempted from the exercise.
The situation, Today understands, is causing panic among teachers as some were said to be running helter-skelter gathering their documents whiles others had absconded.
“My brother come and see the way teachers are running up and down since this directive came,” a teacher who pleaded anonymity told this reporter.
The teacher said this would be about the fifth time this year alone that the GES was conducting head count, but revealed this was the first time the BNI had been involved.
The teacher claimed the BNI’s involvement appeared to be what was causing the fear.
According to the teacher, some genuine teachers had lost their certificates and were concerned they may suffer as a result of that.
And in the opinion of this teacher, such teachers should have been given enough time to get replacement before the exercise began.
“Our head received the notice last week Friday and the exercise began yesterday, which is not fair,” he complained.
Acting Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the GES, Rev. Jonathan Bettey, recently told the media that GES was alarmed at the revelation that some teachers were using forged documents and said they would prosecute all such teachers if found culpable.
He reportedly said, “some were using forged certificates; some certificates were not their own; we have realised that in the system and that they are using family member’s certificates to gain employment.
“They entered into the system without their own certificates. Some people have also gone to the universities for further studies without good certificates,” a newspaper quoted Rev. Bettey.
The GES is the biggest employer in the public sector drawing huge funds from the public coffers.
In recent times there have been several moves to clean the GES payroll purported to include ghost staff among others.
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