NAPO’s GH¢30m debt claim not factual – NDC

Ranking Member on Parliament’s Education Committee, Peter Nortsu–Kotoe, says Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh’s claim that he inherited huge debt at the Education Ministry from the John Mahama administration.

Minister for Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh,  had alleged  that the Akufo-Addo government inherited huge debt at the Education ministry from the John Mahama administration.

In a statement on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, August, 11, 2020, the Minister said, “We met huge outstanding bills under the leadership of Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as Minister of Education, on key supplies for education service delivery.”

“There was an outstanding bill of approximately Gh¢9 million on Capitation Grant, Gh¢4 million on Feeding Grant for Special Schools, Gh¢14 million on exercise books to basic schools, and Gh¢4 million for the supply of school uniforms among many others. Moreover, there were delays in the disbursement of capitation and feeding grants for Special Schools affecting the effective operation of the schools,” he said.

Dr Opoku Prempeh, among other things, said the NDC government failed to pay for the progressively free senior high school education policy the Mahama administration started implementing.

In an interview with Ekourba Gyasi on Atinka AM Drive, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Education Committee, Peter Nortsu–Kotoe, said the statement cannot be substantiated .

He argued that every government inherits both assets and liabilities and that the comment by the minister cannot be justified.

According to him, the Minister for Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh inherited an administration at a time where the academic calendar had not ended.

“In the first place when you inherit an administration, it is both assets and liabilities, you must manage the two. So you don’t pick only one and want to make somebody look like the person didn’t perform or didn’t do any work at all. He mentioned yesterday that he came to meet a debt of Gh¢,30m but the fact is that you came in the middle of an academic year…”, he added.