The Headmaster of Adidome Senior High School (ADISEC), Dr. Vincent Kosi Atiku, along with the schoolβs Accountant, Mr. Divine Elom Sefenu, appeared before Parliamentβs Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to address audit findings concerning unreturned textbooks and calculators issued to students.
The audit report indicated that 228 former students failed to return 104 textbooks and 138 calculators, with the items valued at GHΒ’14,160. Consequently, the committee recommended that the school either retrieve the items or recover their cost from the affected students.
In response to the committee’s inquiries, school authorities reported that they had successfully recovered 56 of the 104 textbooks and 15 of the 138 calculators. This leaves 48 textbooks and 123 calculators unaccounted for.
To address this issue, the school has proposed several measures, including implementing a βNo Return, No New Issueβ policy for textbooks and intensifying efforts to contact parents and guardians of former students. Authorities also suggested withholding certificates from students who fail to return school property or compensate for lost items.
However, committee members questioned the effectiveness of some of these measures, noting that many former students can now access their certificates online, rendering such sanctions less practical.
During the deliberations, concerns were also raised regarding the national policy governing the distribution of calculators and textbooks under the Free SHS programme. Some committee members suggested that the government should either permanently provide calculators to students or cease issuing them, citing the persistent difficulties schools face in retrieving the items after students complete their studies.
The committee acknowledged the challenges school authorities face in tracing former students and indicated that the Ghana Education Service (GES) may need to develop a clearer policy framework to address the issue and safeguard public resources.
