The decision by the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, to extend Mr. Anthony Boateng's post retirement contract as Deputy Director General of Education (Management Services) for a third time upon a request by the Minister for Education, Hon. Yaw Adutum, has been greeted with mass disappointment by teachers, teacher unions and some Ghanaians at large.
Among the disappointed Ghanaians is Dr. Clement Abas Apaak who is MP for Builsa South and Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament.
In a press statement released by Dr. Apaak and sighted by Kwaching Agwaazeh, the MP noted that the attempt to justify this needless contract extension by suggesting that Mr. Boateng's skills are in short supply and are unavoidably needed is simply dishonest.
"How can anyone expect us to believe that among hundreds of experts and professionals in education, it is only Mr. Boateng who can serve as the Deputy Director General - Management Services, and oversee the establishment of the National Education Institute?" Is it rocket science?
"Are we to believe that Mr. Boateng has been working alone all this while, and so no one can step in to continue from where he left off?," he quizzed.
Dr Apaak added that Mr. Boateng himself may know that the extension of his post-retirement contract for a third time is not justified.
Therefore, if the Presidency wouldn't do the needful by withdrawing his appointment, he should demonstrate raw courage and high integrity by declining.
He revealed that Mr. Boateng is confused as to whether to accept or not to accept the extension of his contract. The self-doubt is occasioned by the fact that he fully handed over and is aware that the GES Council is not in favour of his contract extension. In effect, his absence will not do any irreparable damage to the GES or affect the establishment of the National Education Institute.
Dr Apaak indicated that Mr. Anthony Boateng was not interested in extending his stay and this was formally communicated to the GES Council. Subsequently, his notice of retirement letter was signed to enable him to start processing for his SSNIT benefits. He is again reported to have handed over on August 16, 2022.
It is therefore strange that he was offered an extension, which was not requested by the GES, which ought to have been the case.
More interestingly, the request for an extension did not go through the right procedure. Procedurally, the request for extension should be from the Director-General of GES to the GES Council, to the President through the Minister for Education, Dr. Apaak said.
He added that two years ago, that was the procedure used to grant him a one-year extension. Last year the request for an extension was made directly to the Minister for another one-year extension because the GES Council had not been constituted after the election.
"So why was the procedure circumvented in this recent extension when the GES Council is in place? Was the Minister afraid the GES Council would decline to approve a request for this third and unjustified extension? Dr. Apaak asked.
As a matter of record, this is the third post-retirement contract extension being granted Mr. Boateng. The first extension was from August 2020-August 2021. The second extension was from August 2021-August 2022. And now, a third one has been secured.
Dr Apaak, therefore, called on the Presidency to withdraw the unjustified extension of Mr. Boateng's post-retirement contract adding that if the Presidency fails to do so, Mr. Boateng himself, reportedly in a dilemma, should do the needful by declining the questionable contract extension granted him.
"I urge him, as the teacher unions have, to decline in the public interest" he concluded.
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Builsa South MP, Dr. Clement Apaak