The National Association of Institutional Suppliers has refuted the Ministry of Education’s assertion that outstanding debt owed to the Association has been paid.
On April 15, the Ministry of Education announced that, the government had released GH¢26 million to Institutional Suppliers for the provision of school uniforms, P.E kits, stationery, and other supplies.
However, the group in a statement on Tuesday, May 7, said the Ministry has not paid them.
They described as inaccurate the Ministry’s assertion that GH¢26 million has been disbursed.
“The Ministry’s promise to settle all outstanding payments to suppliers, particularly for the years 2021-2022, by April 10, 2024, remains unfulfilled. Many of our members have not received any payment. The Ministry’s assertion that a total of GH¢26 million has been disbursed to pay arrears owed to suppliers of uniforms, PE kits, and stationery is misleading”, the statement said.
The Association also clarified that, no member has been awarded a contract to make supplies of P.E kits and uniforms to school children.
“It must be noted that, for the past seven years when the award of contracts for the supply of PE Kits and stationery was moved from the school level to the Ministry level, suppliers of the PE kits and stationery have remained anonymous and are not members of our association.
“Shockingly, not a single member of our association has been awarded a contract for the supply of PE kits and stationery for the past seven years. It, therefore, appears that a substantial portion of the GH¢26 million has gone to their own cronies,” the statement added.
The National Association of Institutional Suppliers also averred that, the settling of arrears has taken a selective approach, thus posing a challenge in identifying the payments made to members of the association.
“Another worrying situation is that according to the ministry’s records, some suppliers have been marked as paid when they have not actually received payment. Upon inquiry, it has been discovered that their invoices are missing.
“This exacerbates the issue, leading to inaccurate claims of payment by the Ministry. In light of these revelations, we call upon the ministry to urgently fulfil its commitment to pay all outstanding arrears without further delay.
“Additionally, we urge the ministry to implement a transparent and systematic payment process to enhance tracking of payments made to members” the statement which was signed by the National Secretary, Amoah Talhir and the Vice President of the Association, Dr. George Adjei-Henne read.
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