Management of Ghana Education Service (GES) has officially disclosed that they fully endorse the 10% payment of basic salaries of teachers who stays in government bungalows as rent.
According to the managrnment of GES, they are aware of recent public discussions of a letter issued by its Western Regional Director of Education on the subject matter of teachers staying in government bungalows to pay rent and wishes to issue the following clarifications.
For some time now, External Auditors have raised queries on the issue of rent paid by some of the staff of GES Occupying Government bungalows as official accommodation.
In the 2018 Auditor-General’s Report on Audit of Pre-Tertiary Institutions, the issue was raised and the GES was summoned to appear before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on the subject.
In the specific case of Western Region, one of the institutions was queried for charging inadequate rent on staff occupying Government Bungalows of the school. The Auditors referred to the Ministry of Finance’s Circular No. 133385/05/06 NTR CAGD on 15h May 2006. which indicated that occupants of Government bungalows are required to pay 10% of their basic Salary as rent.
Thus the Western Regional Director’s letter on 11th March 2022. was based on the recommendations of the External Auditors and the directives of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament that GES should charge the appropriate rent on staff occupying Government Bungalows.
To avoid further audit queries which culminate in summons before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on the subject, the Director-General has directed all Cost Centre Managers of the Service to be guided by the Ministry of Finance’s Circular and charge the appropriate rent of 10% on the basic salary of staff who occupy Government bungalows as an official accommodation,
Management of GES wishes to reiterate that it is not the GES which is imposing the rent or determining how much is to be paid but purely being guided by the Ministry of Finance’s Circular and the admonitions of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.
Management of GES fully endorses the letter issued by its Western Regional Director and wishes to request all Cost Center Managers to be guided by the said Ministry of Finance’s Circular on the issue of rent on staff occupying Government bungalows so long as that circular is valid and enforceable. This is necessary to avoid future audit queries and subsequent appearance before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on the subject.
Lastly, Management of GES has taken note of the concerns raised by GNAT on behalf of the Pre-tertiary Education Unions on this issue and will be meeting the leadership of the Unions to discuss their concerns ens in the coming days.
