The Parliamentary Select Committee on Education has stepped up its oversight of selected colleges of education following concerns over financial and procurement practices raised in the Auditor General’s reports for the 2024 and 2025 financial years.
The concerns came to the fore when the committee met with the management of the affected institutions to examine issues identified in the audit reports and discuss measures to improve accountability.
Committee chairman Peter Nortsu Kotoe expressed concern about procurement irregularities at some of the institutions and urged college authorities to follow established procurement procedures.
He said management must ensure that public resources are used responsibly and that proper systems are in place to prevent financial irregularities.
The committee also stressed the need for colleges to strengthen their approach to managing risks that could disrupt their operations.
Fred Kyei urged the institutions to develop comprehensive risk management policies, identify potential challenges early and put measures in place to limit their impact.
Members of the committee also called for regular in service training for staff, saying continuous professional development was important to improving management practices and the quality of services provided by the colleges.
The institutions that appeared before the committee included St John Bosco’s College of Education, Gambaga College of Education, Dambai College of Education, Al Faruq College of Education, OLA College of Education, Peki College of Education, St Francis College of Education and E.P. College of Education, Amedzofe.
Others were Akrokeri College of Education, Wiawso College of Education, Nusrat Jahan Ahmadiyya College of Education, Sunyani Technical University and Dr Hilla Limann Technical University.
The committee’s engagement forms part of its oversight responsibilities and is aimed at ensuring that public educational institutions operate within the required financial, procurement and management standards.
