Source Ghanamediatrend
Education News Ghana
GES Issues Stern Warning over Salary Validation Misconduct—Read More...
The Ghana Education Service (GES), through the Savannah Regional Education Directorate, has released a strong warning to validators following the growing number of salary non-validation cases affecting staff who are still actively at post.
The caution comes after several complaints and reactivation requests by teachers and non-teaching staff whose salaries were unjustly blocked due to avoidable lapses in the validation process.
Rising Concerns Over Salary Validation Irregularities.
Salary validation on the Electronic Salary Payment Voucher (ESPV) platform remains a key process in ensuring that only active employees of the service are paid.
However, the Directorate revealed that recurring misconduct and negligence among some validators have created unnecessary hardships for staff.
According to the circular, the alarming rate of reactivation applications shows a worrying trend that undermines the credibility of the system and the welfare of employees.
Key Malpractices Identified
The Directorate listed several wrong practices that continue to affect staff salaries:
- Personal vendetta through ESPV: Some validators reportedly use the system to punish or settle scores with staff they have issues with.
- Unauthorized access: Validation credentials are sometimes given to individuals who have no official role in the process.
- Wrongful tagging of staff: Employees have been declared “unknown” without proper checks or notification.
- Failure to move staff correctly: Validators fail to mark staff as “Missing” until they are moved to their correct cost centers.
- False declarations: Some active staff are deliberately tagged as deceased, resigned, or on vacation from post.
- Poor review culture: ESPV forms are often submitted without thorough cross-checking at all stages.
- Neglect from the staff side: Some employees also fail to request salary transfers when they are reassigned, causing complications.
- Use of mobile phones for validation: Validators relying on mobile devices often miss vital features of the ESPV system, leading to errors.
Sanctions to Be Enforced
The Regional Directorate has directed municipal and district education directors to apply strict sanctions against any validator found guilty of malpractice. These sanctions may include:
- Verbal warnings
- Official query letters
- Temporary salary embargoes
Recovery of unearned salaries into government coffers
The statement stressed that no validator has the mandate to use ESPV as a punitive tool. Instead, the process must be handled with integrity, transparency, and professionalism to protect the welfare of staff.
A Call for Professional Discipline
The directive, signed by the Regional Director of Education, Mr. Bright Lawoe, was copied to all heads of basic and second-cycle institutions, as well as the Regional Internal Auditor. Mr. Lawoe emphasized that discipline, accountability, and fairness must guide every stage of salary validation to prevent needless frustration for teachers and other staff.
Implications for Teachers and Staff
This caution serves as a reminder to both validators and employees of their shared responsibility in ensuring smooth salary processing. For teachers, delays in salary payments can cause financial strain, affecting both personal welfare and professional performance.
For validators, any misconduct not only attracts sanctions but also damages trust within the education system.
The GES’s move reflects its broader commitment to strengthening transparency in financial administration while safeguarding staff welfare.
It also emphasize the need for continuous training, monitoring, and strict compliance with professional standards in the use of the ESPV platform.
