The National Association of Institutional Suppliers has stated that the Ministry of Education's promise to settle all outstanding payments to suppliers, particularly for the 2021-2022 period, remains unfulfilled.

In a statement, the suppliers noted, "The Ministry's assertion that a total of GHS26 million has been disbursed to pay arrears owed to suppliers of uniforms, PE kits, and stationery is misleading.".

"It must be noted that for the past seven years, when the award of contracts for the supply of PE kits and stationery was moved from the school level to the ministry level, suppliers of the PE kits and stationery have remained anonymous and are not members of our association.

Shockingly, not a single member of our association has been awarded a contract for the supply of PE kits and stationery for the past seven years.

It, therefore, appears that a substantial portion of the GHS26 million has gone to their own cronies—the suppliers of PE kits and stationery," it added.

The suppliers emphasized that the process of settling arrears appears to be characterized by "selective payments rather than a systematic and transparent approach.".

The suppliers further noted that this exacerbates the issue, leading to inaccurate claims of payment by the Ministry