Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Zakaria Suleman Yeboah, has advised headteachers in senior high schools (SHS) across the country to avoid charging unapproved fees despite legitimate reasons they may have for doing so.
The counsel comes after the interdiction of 7 Headteachers of SHS within the Ashanti Region for allegedly charging unauthorized fees and prospectus for incoming SHS freshers.
Speaking in an interview with Citinews, the chairman advised headteachers to stick to the rules given by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and desist from charging unauthorized fees, emphasizing the need to seek clearance approval from regional authorities.
He also established that GES would wait on the final verdict from the investigation committee before proceeding with necessary actions.
“We are still advising them to stick to the rules. We have informed them that henceforth all items that students are supposed to buy, they should stop it, and those who are not involved should keep their feet in the rules.”
“For those who were found culpable, we are not sure whether they committed the crime or not, so I will plead with my members of Ashanti Region and across the country to desist from charging any unauthorized fees… I have met my members and we have spoken at length, and they have also given me their side of the story. So, I hope that the committee speaking tomorrow will help us unravel some of the issues at stake.”
SHS headteachers across the country had been directed to avoid the collection of monies from students and their parents in relations to their academic needs as part of the Free SHS policy; the policy requires that all students in public SHS attend their secondary education free of charge. The students are also entitled to free school materials such as uniforms and books, which will be provided by the government.
In contrast, headteachers have also been raising concerns over the inadequacy of resources in the running of schools due to the policy; in light of the matter, various stakeholders have been calling for either the abolishment of the Free SHS policy or the review of the ability of school administrations to be able to collect some amount of monies for certain services in the schools.
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Story by: Vannessa Nyasi Mensah | univers.ug.edu.gh
