Dark Clouds Over Teachers' Pay

The chances of some teachers receiving their salaries since the fire outbreak at the Controller and Accountant General's Department (CAGD) last May, continue to hang on a thread, as there is a huge disparity between the number claiming to have had their pay vouchers burnt among documents and the one on the official data of the CAGD.

Chronicle has gathered that there are about 200 pupil teachers professed to have been recruited in the Eastern Region between October last year and February, this year, who have not been paid their salaries because their pay vouchers were among the burnt documents.

A report emanating from the Fanteakwa District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) says, 40 of such teachers in the district were affected by the disaster, while ten others are said to be in the Akuapem North District.

It was further learnt that the teachers who were recruited to fill vacancies created by teachers who had left to higher institutions or on transfer are located in deprived areas. And that they are mostly now living on the charity of the village folks, most of whom are farmers and fishermen.

But the data available at the Controller and Accountant General's Department indicate that among the pupil teachers in the Eastern Region, only two pay vouchers were affected and like everyone else they were asked to resubmit their inputs and as at last Friday only one was yet to resubmit an input.

The summary data, which was obtained by Chronicle from the Public Relations Department of the CAGD on Friday, last week, shows that only 169 teachers' pay vouchers were affected during the fire outbreak.

Out of the 169 affected teachers, the data shows that about 147, including the two pupil teachers from the Eastern Region, have resubmitted their inputs which have been processed.

The data further explained that out of the total number of affected teachers only 22 are yet to resubmit inputs.

It was revealed by the record that besides the two pupil teachers in the Eastern Region, the number of other affected teachers was reported to be 104. Of this number, only 14 are yet to resubmit their inputs.

Whilst the other areas reported a total of 63 cases of which 55 have been dealt with.

When Chronicle wanted to find out whether those whose input have been processed have received their salaries, the paymaster at the CAGD was not around to comment, but the reporter was informed that once a teacher's input is processed, it means that, he has been paid.

However, the Financial Controller at the GES, Mr. Charles Otoo, could not comment on the issue much, even though, he admitted that he was aware that some of the teachers' pay vouchers were among the burnt documents.

He told Chronicle that the best department to comment was the CAGD.