GNAT President criticizes OSP’s handling of the ‘Ghost Names’ investigation

The GNAT President criticizes the OSP’s handling of the ‘Ghost Names’ investigation

Rev. Isaac Owusu, the President of GNAT, has criticized the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) method for looking into alleged ghost names in schools in the country’s north.

He identified issues with the procedures used and stated that there were no consultations with the education directorate during the said investigations.

He emphasized that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Controller and Accountant General (CAGD) did not follow due process in reaching the conclusions presented in the report.

He made the comments while speaking with Joy FM’s Emefa Apawu, monitored by Ghana Education News. Rev. Owusu also criticised the conclusions presented in the report.

Both the Ghana Education Service Director General and the Minister of Education denied having any knowledge of the said investigations.

“This OSP issue was one of the cases we sent to the Labour Commission. The Labour Commission questioned the chief employer, the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, and his sector minister, Dr. Yaw Adutwum, about their knowledge of the OSP’s activities, to which they categorically denied any knowledge, according to Rev. Owusu.

The OSP Report’s findings

The press release and report issued by the OSP on May 20th revealed the following:

1. The school the outfit investigated is fictitious and does not exist.
2. The school’s staff does not yet exist; they receive monthly validation and salaries.
3. GH₵2.8 million in unearned salaries has been paid to ‘ghost names,’ which included individuals who were deceased, retired, or no longer in their positions.
4. A staggering amount of GH₵2,854,144.80 was identified as unearned monthly salaries.

GNAT President’s Response

Rev. Owusu questioned how the OSP could conduct an investigation and maintain credibility if it didn’t involve local education officers.

“If OSP had taken the time to visit the directorate after the investigations, if he had asked the director of Bunkrugu, ‘I have seen school A, do you have this in your record,’ he didn’t do any of this.”

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We are not saying he should go and seek permission, but look, this blockade of salaries cuts across the country, including teachers on study leave,” he added.

The OSP’s handling of the ‘Ghost Names’ investigation solely without questioning education service officers has flawed the findings and put the investigations and the associated report in a weaker position.