Ghana Education Service (GES) Public Relations Officer, Daniel Fenyi, has reiterated that students are not required to pay Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) dues or any other compulsory levies in schools.
Speaking to Isaac Addae on Morning Starr on Starr FM, Mr Fenyi said there should be no exchange of money once a child has been posted to a school and has reported.
He explained that once a child has been posted to a school and has reported, teaching and learning should proceed without financial demands on parents.
“The child has been posted to the school, they have reported to the school, teaching and learning should proceed from there,” he said.
Mr Fenyi said the position is intended to ensure that money does not become a stumbling block to children accessing education.
The GES also disclosed that some schools identified last year for collecting PTA dues were directed to refund the money.
“Last year we recorded a few of such heads that came to us. We asked them to refund and they did,” Mr Fenyi said.
He added that some of the schools presented receipts to show that they had refunded the monies collected.
According to Mr Fenyi, although some of the schools previously identified have not repeated the practice this year, new schools or groups have emerged, making it necessary for the GES to reiterate its position.
Mr Fenyi, however, clarified that the GES does not prevent parents who genuinely want to support their children’s schools from making voluntary contributions.
He explained that such support could take different forms, including money, building materials, roofing sheets, wood, water or labour.
“You may even find some parents who say that, for me, I will contribute a thousand, I’ll contribute 200, I’ll contribute 10,000. I will give water or I’ll provide food for the labourers,” he said.
Mr Fenyi said some parents could also offer their skills or materials towards the construction of school infrastructure.
He stressed that such contributions must remain voluntary and should not be turned into compulsory PTA dues or levies.
“It is voluntary contributions of parents who want to maybe support the school,” he said.
The GES stressed that the key distinction is that parents may voluntarily support their children’s schools, but schools must not make such contributions a condition for students to access teaching and learning.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Pamela Quayson
