SHS Admissions: Ghana Education Service Orders Headteachers to Stop Collecting Unauthorised Fees
- The Ghana Education Service issued a directive ordering all heads of Senior High Schools to halt the collection of unapproved fees
- GES management said it had received reports that some school heads were collecting admission fees, PTA dues and other unauthorised levies from parents and guardians
- The directive reminded school heads that charging unauthorised fees contradicts the government's free Senior High School education policy
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The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed all heads of Senior High Schools (SHS) and Senior High Technical Schools (SHTS) to immediately stop collecting fees and levies that have not been officially approved.
Source: Facebook
A statement issued on Wednesday and signed by Mr Daniel Fenyi, Head of Public Relations at GES, said management had received concerning reports that certain school heads were demanding admission fees, Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) dues and various other charges from parents and guardians.
"Management hereby strongly cautions all heads of SHS/SHTS to cease, with immediate effect, the collection of such unathorised fees or levies from parents/guardians," the statement read.
The directive made clear that such practices run counter to established government policy. GES reminded school heads that "charging and collection of unauthorized fees and levies are contrary to the government policy on free education at the Senior High School level."
Ghana's Free SHS programme was introduced to remove financial barriers to secondary education for all Ghanaian students. The GES directive signals that some institutions may be undermining the intent of that policy by introducing informal charges that place additional financial burdens on families.
The statement did not name any specific schools involved in the practice, nor did it outline what sanctions, if any, would be imposed on heads of schools found to have continued collecting such fees after the directive.
The GES directive applies across all public senior high and senior high technical institutions nationwide.
Source: YEN.com.gh
