NAGRAT Suggests Government Ban Parents' Associations If They Undermine Free SHS
- The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) said the interdiction of two headteachers is unjust and should be rescinded
- The headteachers were accused of collecting unauthorised fees from students contrary to the Free Senior High Policy
- But NAGRAT insists that the fees were sanctioned by the Parents' Associations and not the headteachers and they must be held accountable
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The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has suggested that the government bans the Parents Association scheme if its activities undermine the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
The suggestion follows the Ghana Education Service’s recent interdiction of the headteachers of Ahantaman Senior High School and St Roses Senior High School following allegations that they were collecting unauthorised fees from students.
Source: UGC
The action was considered an affront to the Free SHS policy.
However, NAGRAT has opposed their interdiction.
According to the association, the fees were initiated by the Parents Association and not the school’s administration; thus, the headteachers cannot be held responsible for the action.
3News reported that the Association argued that the headteachers are being unfairly punished for actions instigated by the Parents Association, over which they have no control.
NAGRAT said the Parents' associations, not the headteachers, should be held accountable for their actions if they violate the government‘s agenda.
NAGRAT demands reinstatement of headteachers
Meanwhile, at a press conference on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, NAGRAT President ANgel Carbonu demanded the immediate reinstatement of the two headteachers.
He stressed that their removal was unjust and misguided and must be reversed.
“If the ministry feels that the presence of the PAs is negatively affecting the smooth running of the schools within the context of a free senior high school, the ministry can ban the formation of PAs outrightly,” he suggested.
Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has defended the government’s decision to maintain the Free SHS policy for students regardless of income level.
Amid calls for a more targeted implementation, Akufo-Addo said parents who could afford it should send their children to fee-paid private schools.
He stressed that taxpayers fund public schools and that they should be free for all Ghanaians.
“That is why the number of pupils who have access to secondary education has doubled since the introduction of the free senior high school policy.”
NAGRAT speaks on TVET teachers’ plight
YEN.com.gh reported that the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) said that professional teachers participating in the TVET programme are being maltreated.
NAGRAT said the arbitrary transfer of teachers from GES to TVET without their explicit consent is intolerable.
NAGRAT has called on the Education Ministry to address the challenges TVET teachers face and reopen service conditions negotiations.
Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
