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Opinions of Thursday, 31 March 2016

Columnist: Owusu Baffoe Daniel

Auditing of certificates; BNI don't know their work

It is not a bad thing to do if certificates of teachers are being scrutinized. Perhaps, it is likely to get teachers working with fake certificates or fake documents, and I believe you will agree with me that the issue of people working with fake certificates can be found everywhere or in every sector.

The approach with which BNI is going round checking teachers certificates clearly shows that they (BNI) have their own parochial interest according to which they are embarking on that exercise(Certificates Auditing). I dont want to believe that they are just using teachers as guinea pigs to accomplishing their secret missions.

Ever since they started doing the work of Audit service which i thought would have at least expedite the almighty offsite validation exercise, it has rather been a disadvantage than being of benefit to the country. It sometimes baffles my mind as to why despite monthly SPV validation by headteachers and management units, Audit service still require 'mere papers' to confirm teachers who are still at post and those who have vacated their post among others.

I also don't understand why Audit service should be checking certificates of teachers whilst BNI have done that already. I don't also know why BNI should be shunning their core functions as an integral part of the National Security Council which oversees matters of counterintelligence and security of Ghana both internally and externally to be doing what GES and CAGD have been doing always.

What then is the essence of National Inspectorate board(NIB) if BNI should be doing their work?

It is rather a waste of resources if four different bodies (NIB, BNI, GES and Audit Service) should be doing the same work.

It surprises me the more when I see these state institutions behaving like people of the stone age in this era of technology. There's no way someone will get a genuine WASSCE certificate without BECE certificate. It is also impossible to get a genuine University degree or diploma without WAEC confirming your SHS certificate. So what is the BNI looking for from checking certificates from KG and primary?

I wouldn't be surprised if they start checking primary uniforms, terminal reports and JHS pre-tech drawing boards.

I am challenging BNI to investigate the certificates of government workers in other sectors to at least balance the equation.

Apart from that, I am urging the NCCE to educate these institutions: GES, BNI, NIB and Audit Service on their roles in the society before GES start issuing arrest warrants with Audit service giving appointment letters.

I was expecting BNI to arrest Jacob Kor for interrogation when he publicly confessed that out of 60,000 teachers, only about 7000 were having genuine documents.That would have saved the country huge sums of money while simplifying the self-task BNI has imposed upon themselves.