Ketu North MP Edem Agbana has challenged the Ghana Education Service (GES) to publish its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Prospectus Ghana Limited over the controversial EduPack arrangement, saying the Service’s recent clarification has raised more questions than it has answered.
According to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legislator, Ghanaians deserve to know the precise terms of the agreement, the products covered and the authority granted to Prospectus Ghana Ltd under the arrangement.
His intervention comes after the GES insisted that although it has an MoU with Prospectus Ghana Ltd, the purchase of the company’s educational products by parents and students is strictly voluntary.
But Mr Agbana, in a statement, questioned why Prospectus Ghana had allegedly created the impression that it had an agreement to introduce or impose the products on parents and students if the purchases were genuinely voluntary.
“If the GES says it has an MoU with Prospectus Ghana Limited, then publish the MoU,” he said.
“Ghanaians deserve to know exactly what was agreed, what products it covers, and what authority, if any, it gives Prospectus Ghana.”
‘Why was an MoU necessary?’
The Ketu North MP also questioned whether other businesses selling educational items require similar agreements with the GES before introducing their products to schools.
“Do other sellers or traders of educational items need an MoU with the GES before introducing their products to schools?” he asked.
“If yes, what is the process and who else has received such approval? If no, why was an MoU necessary in this particular case?”
For Mr Agbana, the GES cannot resolve the controversy simply by insisting that purchases are voluntary without addressing the circumstances that led parents and students to believe otherwise.
He said if Prospectus Ghana had acted beyond the terms of its agreement with the GES, the Service should publicly acknowledge this and take appropriate action.
“These questions cannot be brushed aside with a press statement,” he said.
Warning over public confidence
Mr Agbana further linked the EduPack controversy to broader concerns about the administration of the GES, warning that actions by government institutions could undermine public confidence in the government.
“The GES is increasingly becoming a source of avoidable disaffection for our government,” he said, citing issues surrounding teacher recruitment and promotion as examples.
He urged the government and its institutions to avoid actions that could erode public trust.
“We must not do things that erode the confidence people have in our government,” he said.
The MP called for greater transparency and accountability in the handling of the EduPack arrangement, insisting that government institutions must recognise the consequences of their decisions for the credibility of the government.
“If the purchase is voluntary, say so clearly to every school and parent. If Prospectus Ghana exceeded the terms of its agreement, the GES must say so and take the necessary action.”
He ended his statement with a direct appeal to the education authorities:
“Dear GES, please wake up.”
The controversy follows a September 21 clarification by the GES in which the Service said its MoU with Prospectus Ghana Limited was intended to introduce the company’s educational products and services to schools, but did not make the purchase of those products compulsory.
The GES also said no external body had been authorised to impose Prospectus Ghana products as required school items.
Mr Agbana’s demand for publication of the MoU now puts the terms of the agreement at the centre of the growing public debate over EduPack and the extent to which parents can be required to purchase school-related items through private suppliers.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
