The Headmaster of St Charles Senior High and Minor seminary in Tamale was caught pants down at the public accounts committee sitting on Monday, while responding to issues bothering on the school’s utilities bills over a period.
Mr. Polycarp Kuusokub, who had sworn under oath, had difficulties explaining himself when the chairman of the PAC inquired about bills that the school owed utility services providers – water and electricity.
According to the headmaster, the bills that came to the school over the period in question were forwarded to the Northern Regional Directorate for onwards submission to the government for payment.
However, when the Regional Director of Education, Dr. Peter Atefuah seated three chairs away from the headmaster, was asked about the lapses, Dr. Atefuah responded that having taken over office a little over a year ago, “he is yet to see any utility bills from the Senior High schools being summited to his desk.”
Infuriated by these developments, the chairman of the PAC, Dr. Klutse Avedzi remarked “it is clear that the headmater had come to deceive the committee and that would not be allowed, you can be cited for perjury.” He was therefore compelled to amend his earlier position.
A Deputy Minister of Education in charge of pre-tertiary, Gifty Ampofo Twumasi, who earlier intervened on the matter, explained that under with the Free SHS policy, the government was shouldering all the utility bills payments; as such they were dealing directly with the utility companies. She however expressed some reservations too.
St Charles senior high and minor seminary has been in the news lately over rampant fires which some believe are the works of arsonists for which the old students of the school recent issued a statement calling on the school’s management to sit up and ensures these were dealt with.
Story by: Nelson Adanuti Nyadror
