Public universities in Ghana have been ‘ordered’ to stop sponsoring staff members for further studies abroad with pay. This decision was announced during the Public Accounts Sitting (PAC) sitting in Parliament on Tuesday, August 13, 2024.
The directive follows findings in the Auditor-General’s report, highlighting numerous unfulfilled bonds.
The report specifically noted that about fifteen staff members from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) who were paid study leave had failed to return to work after completing their studies.
The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Hon. James Klutse Avedzi, urged the KNUST and other institutions to implement stringent policies, including requiring bank guarantees from staff before approving study leave with pay.
These guarantees would ensure that in cases of default, the banks would cover the expenses incurred by the university.
Meawhile, the management of KNUST has called on the government to consider recruiting more lecturers to cope with the increasing student population. According to KNUST’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, this challenge is not unique to KNUST but is widespread across all public universities in the country, requiring a comprehensive solution.
Professor Dickson also raised concerns about the disregard for speed limits on campus, following the tragic death of a student, Adzo Ahadzie, who was struck by a vehicle while riding her bicycle along Club House Road on the KNUST campus last month. In response, the PAC has directed university management to enforce stricter speed limits on campus.
The Auditor-General’s report also recommended that KNUST recover over $400,000 from various debtors by the end of the year. The report identified several organizations, including Telecel Ghana, AirtelTigo, MultiChoice, NABPTEX, Pro Credit Savings and Loans Limited (now Fidelity Bank), and Crystal TV, among others, that have owed the university for over nine years. The PAC emphasized the need for KNUST to take prompt action to retrieve these outstanding amounts.