NDC accuses gov’t of misapplying GETFUND

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused government of misapplying the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND).

Koku Anyidoho, who is in charge of Communications for the NDC presidential candidate John Atta Mills, says the current administration is not applying the funds from the Trust for what it was originally intended.

Speaking to the dailyEXPRESS during a familiarization visit to the University of Ghana by Professor Mills, Mr. Anyidoho said, but for the misapplication of the GETFUND, the problems confronting the premier university and others especially in the area of residential accommodation, would have been curtailed.

The Mills spokesman said the GETFUND was intended for infrastructure development and improvement in the educational sector and not for activities like scholarships, capitation grant and youth employment activities that it is currently been used for.

Mr. Anyidoho was of the view that the proposed in-out-out-out residential policy at Legon and its attendant problems would have been averted if the right things were done.

Mr.Anyidoho disclosed to the dailyEXPRESS that the NPP administration has channeled some of the Getfund money into the capitation grant, youth employment, buses for secondary schools and other areas. What the NPP could have done after the NDC put the getfund in place Mr. Anyidoho said was for the current government to find ways of supplementing the fund.

The NDCs comments came in the wake of increasing rumpus on the University of Ghana campus as a result of the university’s proposed new residential policy. The policy, if implemented will see students of the university admitted into residence only during the first year of their four-year course.

Even though the University of Ghana has seen massive construction work over the last six-years of the NPP administration, Mr. Anyidoho says the chaos on campus is an indication that very little is being done. He added that the GETFund must be used to improve residential infrastructure on the various campuses.

Meanwhile, presidential candidate of the NDC Prof John Atta Mills has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party of pursuing misplaced priorities.

Bemoaning the over thirty-million US dollar expenditure on a presidential palace by government at the expense of improving residential infrastructure in the various public universities, he called on the NPP government to account for how the GETFund money is being spent.

Prof. Mills made the call after a closed door meeting with authorities of the University of Ghana to help find a solution to the stand-off between authorities and students the proposed in-out-out-out residential policy of the university.

Himself a former member of the university, Prof Mills appealed to the authorities to withdraw the proposed policy and continue with the existing one which enables first and final year students to be accommodated.

Prof. Kofi Awoonor, lecturer in the English Department of the University, Haruna Iddrisu, MP for Tamale South and former student leader and other leading members of the party accompanied Prof. Mills on the tour.