November 21, 2017//-The President of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Mrs Cecilia Kwakye Cofie, has called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, release subsidies which have been in arrears for three terms to senior high schools (SHSs).
She said SHSs risked being closed down prematurely if the absorbed fees by the government did not reach the schools “immediately”.
Speaking at the 68th Speech and Prize-giving Day of the Winneba SHS in Winneba last Saturday, Mrs Cofie said: “The major challenges confronting SHSs are the arrears and subsidies, release of payment of scholarship to second and third-year students and the renege on the part of the government to supply food to the schools.”
The event was on the theme: “Quality education: The socio-economic need of Ghana”.
Enrolment
Mrs Cofie said although the heads of school had submitted the enrolment figures and also engaged the government on several occasions, nothing was forthcoming, saying: “It is a fact that heads of schools are under serious pressure but are afraid to voice it, for fear of intimidation and sanctions.”
She also called on the government to revert the procurement of items to the traditional suppliers since, in her estimation; the new contractors “maybe, don’t have the capacity to supply food items to the schools”.
Buffer stock
She said since the Buffer Stock Company took charge of the supply of food items on the directive of the government, no supply had been made to the schools, a situation which was having a debilitating effect on the academic work of the schools.
She said the heads had fallen on fees paid by continuing students to feed first-year students, saying those fees were also not forthcoming.
According to the CHASS President, who has just handed over the administration of the school to a new head, the heads of all institutions had wholeheartedly embraced the free SHS policy, since it was meant to relieve them from the challenges of demanding fees from students, most of whom could not afford to pay.
Payment of school fees
She said the free SHS policy had seriously affected the payment of fees by continuing students, with most of them refusing to pay their fees because, according to them, they too were Ghanaians who must enjoy free SHS.
“The challenge is also that a Ghana Education Service (GES) policy forbids the sacking of students from school for non-payment of school fees. So we are in a fix,” she said.
The free senior high school (SHS) policy has seriously affected the payment of fees by continuing students, with most of them refusing to pay their fees because, according to them, they too were Ghanaians who must enjoy free SHS.
“The challenge is also that a Ghana Education Service (GES) policy forbids the sacking of students from school for non-payment of school fees. So we are in a fix,” she said.
She also called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, release subsidies which have been in arrears for three terms to senior high schools (SHSs).
She said SHSs risked being closed down prematurely if the absorbed fees by the government did not reach the schools “immediately”.
Culled from Daily Graphic