News:
March 11, 2026
In an unprecedented move aimed at bolstering transparency and accountability in governance, the Parliamentary Committee on Economy and Development has engaged the Ministry of Education and its key agencies over discrepancies in the 2024 Annual Progress Report.
The meeting, held on Tuesday, saw the Committee invite the Ministry, the Ghana Education Service (GES), and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) to defend their performance targets and expenditure.
Addressing the press after the closed-door session, the Chairman of the Committee, Eric Afful, described the hearing as a historic first for the country. He explained that the Committee is exercising its mandate to ensure that government resources allocated to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are utilized according to national development plans.
“This is the first time this has happened in this country,” Mr. Afful stated. “Even the media, you are surprised about this particular meeting. We brought in the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to also come and witness the figures that they gave to the Ministry of Education, and compare.”
Tracking the Public Purse
Mr. Afful detailed the Committee’s oversight process, noting that they review the alignment between budget allocations and actual performance outlined in the Annual Progress Reports provided by the NDPC.
“We look at the targets, whether they are working according to the plan. That is what we have done today,” he said. He emphasized that this exercise is a “good program” that will be extended to all 23 ministries and their respective agencies to “attest to these funds.”
Discrepancies Found in Education Sector Report
However, the Committee’s review of the education sector raised red flags. According to the Chairman, preliminary observations revealed significant inconsistencies between the data submitted by the Ministry of Education and the benchmarks set by the NDPC.
“Our observations with the Ministry of Education is that there are inconsistencies with their figures and that of the NDPC,” Mr. Afful revealed.
He added that the Ministry also failed to submit its report in a timely manner, causing delays in the compilation of the national report.
Despite the critical findings, the Chairman framed the process as a “learning stage” for all parties involved.
“We have advised them to go and sit down and make sure that next time such flaws are not repeated,” he said. “When you do this, we are able to know a lot of things that they are doing.”
The initiative marks a significant shift in Parliament’s approach to oversight, moving beyond financial audits to include a rigorous evaluation of policy implementation and target achievement. The Committee is expected to summon the remaining ministries in the coming weeks.
Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com