The World Bank has cleared Education Minister in the $1.2 million training money scandal.

Ghana’s Education Minister has been absolved by the World Bank of any wrongdoing in the suspected misappropriation of 1.2 million dollars destined for the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP).

The Ministry of Education’s claims of training nearly 40,000 teachers under the initiative were confirmed before the money were issued, according to the bank’s records.

Following accusations that the Ghana Education Service was ignorant of the training, the Education Committee of Parliament decided to investigate the allegations.

The World Bank said in answer to a question from Joy News in Accra that its “funding is distributed against the attainment of pre-agreed and independently confirmed outcomes.”

“According to the protocol, the Ministry of Education gave information about the number of instructors educated in distant learning techniques, which the Development Partners’ Group validated and the World Bank approved.”

“As soon as this confirmation was received, the funding was disbursed. The World Bank is committed to assisting Ghana in its efforts to achieve universal education.”

Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the man at the center of the allegations, also said that “all of the questions they presented to us were answered.”

“When you finish a job, people usually ask you, ‘How did you do this? How did you do that?’ and you reply. They compensate you when you answer to their pleasure.”

“It’s a resource-linked indicator project,” says the narrator. The money will not be issued if you have any problems. They want you to do the job first, and then they will pay you. So they won’t pay you if you’re under investigation,” the minister added.

In Other News: Ghana’s decision to elect MMDCEs on party lines must be guided by the consequences of Brexit. Ahwoi, ahwoi, ahwoi,

Professor Kwamena Ahwoi, a former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, believes that the British people opted to leave the European Union before considering the repercussions.

He advised Ghana not to go down that road with partisan elections for Municipal, Metropolitan, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

Before moving forward with a referendum, Pro Ahwoi urged that the plan be thoroughly evaluated.

The MMDCs would be chosen on party lines, according to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

“It was and continues to be my opinion that repealing or amending an entrenched provision of the Constitution should have universal support in order to be acceptable and healthy for the political body politic.” We should also consider the Ghanaian people’s strong commitment to multi-party democratic elections.

“On average, the turnout for national elections in the 4th Republic has been 72 percent, one of the highest in the world, while the turnout for ostensibly non-partisan local government elections has always hovered around thirty percent (30 percent),” he said on Thursday April 29 when addressing the nation on the 30th anniversary of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.

“I have said it before, and I will say it again,” the president continued. I will continue to work for a broad national consensus on this issue, and should such a consensus be reached for the repeal of Article 55(3) of the Constitution, as well as an agreement for political parties to participate in and sponsor candidates for district assembly elections, at any point during my remaining term as President of the Republic, the issue will be brought back to the forefront of our public discourse for the necessary amplification.

“I am hope to be in a position to declare a path forward on this critical topic soon after completing the appropriate discussions.”

In 2019, Mr. Akufo-Addo ordered the withdrawal of a bill that sought to change Article 243(1) of the Constitution, which permits the President to designate MMDCEs.

The President also put on hold plans to allow for the election of MMDCEs, as he promised ahead of the 2016 elections, in a national address in which he announced the cancellation of the December 17, 2019 referendum on an amendment to Article 55 (3) of the Constitution to allow political parties to participate in local level elections.

“It is with great sorrow that I have issued orders to the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development…to halt the process and ensure that the Bills for the change of the Constitutions, both in respect of Article 243 (1) and Article 55 (3), be withdrawn.”

While the President ascribed the referendum’s cancellation to the lack of “durable national agreement” on the issue, he did not explain why the Bill to alter Article 243 (1), which seemed to have bipartisan support, was also withdrawn.

“The National Democratic Congress, we have always been in favor of election of MMDCEs but not on political lines,” he stated on TV3’s New Day program with Johnnie Hughes on Thursday, June 2. Article 55 deals with partisanship in District Assemblies. Because it is an established clause, you will need a referendum on that one. So, without mentioning the election of DCEs, we might have conducted a vote on it.

“Article 241 governs the election of DCEs; it is not an enshrined rule; all that is required is two-thirds of Members of Parliament to vote for DCEs to be elected.” However, since the assemblies are nonpartisan, we wanted that election to be held on nonpartisan lines.”

“Yes, it is occurring, but what is the effect?” he remarked when his attention was given to the fact that partisanship is already taking place, even if it hasn’t been properly couched. That was our view, which the party accepted, and I hope we don’t have another referendum like Brexit. Because the people of the United Kingdom opted to leave the European Union before considering the repercussions and implications. As a result, our view was that we should agree on all of the important issues.

“For example, the Constitution states that the president picks 30% of assembly members; yet, since the assemblies are nonpartisan, this does not pose an issue.” If you make the assemblies political and then do nothing, the president’s party will run for office, win a certain number of seats, and then nominate 30% of his own people. Is that going to be democratic?

“We must agree to abolish that section of the Constitution if we are moving into partisan municipal governance.”

“Another example is that the assemblies are nonpartisan, which means that the district assembly and unit committee elections are free of charge. Are political parties going to be accountable for deposit payments and campaign costs if we make the assembly partisan? It’s possible that a government-controlled party will be able to do this.

“Will an opposition party be able to achieve it with ease?” So that provision that says all district assembly and unit committee elections are free, we must agree before we go to the referendum whether the state will continue to sponsor the assembly elections or the party will take responsibility, because there will be major consequences and implications of that decision that we have not addressed, and we are asking the president and his party to let us agree before we go to the referendum.