Not Serving Bond Under Leave With Pay Dominates Audit Infractions

The refusal by some lecturers to serve bond under leave with pay, after being sponsored for studies abroad, is one of the breaches recorded in the 2021 Auditor-General’s report among technical universities. 

During the zonal sitting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament in Tamale on Monday, most Technical Universities failed to pursue defaulters and their guarantors to refund specified amounts to the Auditor-General’s recovery account as recommended by auditors. 

Issues of unearned salaries and payment in lieu of notice before resignation also reoccurred among technical universities, where staff members, who vacated their posts, were paid salaries. 

Dr Hilla Limann Technical University, Tamale Technical University and Bolgatanga Technical University had similar audit infractions and failed to correct some of them prior to the PAC’s sitting. 

The PAC sitting, which was held in Tamale, began with the Technical Universities as well as Colleges of Education in Northern Ghana, on the 2021 Auditor-General’s report. 

It is also expected to continue with Senior High School and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), to follow up on actions taken based on auditors’ recommendations for the report under review. 

 Dr James Klutse Avedzi, Chairman of PAC, addressing journalists after the PAC’s sitting on Monday, said the issue of people leaving the technical universities after being sponsored by government for further studies was disheartening. 

He said: “These are issues government should think through to handle, so recalcitrant beneficiaries, who refuse to serve the bond, can be dealt with.” 

He said people who refused to return to the country after studies or serve bond, defied the purpose of sponsorship, adding that, the idea of sponsoring lecturers for further studies was to enable them impact knowledge to students. 

Dr Avedzi stated that unearned salaries and refusal to serve bond was a major infraction of most technical universities while the colleges of education had minimal issues, which they were able to address, per auditors’ recommendations. 

GNA