Ghanasco school bus, Headmistress' car seized over debt

A court in Tamale in the Northern region has confiscated a student bus and the official vehicle of the headmistress of the Ghana Senior High School (Ghanasco) after the Ghana Education Service failed to pay up the salary arrears of a former headmaster of the school.

The late Lionel Mahama, headed the school circa 1997, dragged the Ghana Education Service to court accusing it of abusing his right including inappropriate dismissal and concealing his promotion letter away from him.

He was later reinstated as the headmaster following a CHRAJ order but authorities halted payment of his salaries. He sent the matter to court despite several failed attempts to get his benefits.

A High court in Tamale presided over by Justice Lawrence L. Mensah on April, 25 2013 cited ‘unjust treatment’ and ordered the full and immediate payment of all outstanding arrears to the late former headmaster.

The arrears went up to more than GH200, 000 compelling the late educationist to return the case to court but died shortly after presenting his claims to the court.

However, years after the court order, authorities of the education service failed to comply with the directives angering the court to order the confiscation of the assets.

Two Nissan Patrol vehicles belonging to the education service have also been confiscated.

A daughter of the late Mahama, Diana Awuni told StarrNews the family intend auctioning the four vehicles if authorities failed to pay up the debt.

“We have no alternative, we also need to survive in this difficult time because we went through a lot’ my old man went through a lot of hardship; it affected his health very well. The injustice he went through affected him, in fact he endured hardship. No pension has been up to now nothing and he died and left children. Four years after his death we can’t access anything, is that justice?” Diana lamented.

Starr News checks at the school have revealed stalled activities. Authorities of the school are now renting vehicles for teachers and students for events.

There is also a growing anger among teachers of the school as they question why the court jointly penalized the institution for a fallout solely committed by the Ghana Education Service.