PAC begins hearing of 2020 Auditor General’s Report in Ho
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament last Monday began the hearing to consider the 2020 Auditor General’s report in Ho for four regions.
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They are in the Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta and Oti regions.
All colleges of education and technical universities cited in the report are expected to appear before the committee, which is chaired by the Member of Parliament for Ketu South, Dr James Klutse Avedzi.
During its four-day sitting, the committee will also look into the management and utilisation of District Assemblies Common Fund, the accounts and other Statutory Funds, and internally-generated funds (IGF) of assemblies, for the year under review.
Financial deficit
The first to appear before the committee was the Vice Chancellor of the Koforidua Technical University, Professor David Kofi Essuman, and other management team members of the institution.
It emerged that a financial deficit of more than GH¢5.8 million incurred by the Koforidua Technical University was due to the COVID -19 pandemic which made it impossible for the academic year to start in August as scheduled, for which reason students were not billed.
The team told the committee that the university had also addressed an online students’ information system, which earlier caused irregularities in some of its financial reports.
When the team from the Accra Technical University took its turn, it emerged that the institution did not incur any financial deficit during the period.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Samuel Nii Odai, explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the university continued teaching online and charged students accordingly.
The team from the Ho Technical University, led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Ben Q. Honyenuga, told the PAC that the university had now insured its lecture halls, offices and other facilities on the campus.
The claims by the three universities were upheld by auditors at the hearing.
Hearing of the Auditor General’s 2020 Reports by PAC ends on Thursday, May 18, 2023.