Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, former Deputy Minister for Education, has explained why the previous government’s decision to abolish compulsory Parent Teacher Association (PTA) levies.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Rev. Fordjour added that the role of parents in the education system was never diminished under the previous administration.
Responding to recent announcements by Education Minister Haruna Idrisu regarding the reintroduction of PTAs, he explained that the PTA itself was never abolished, only the compulsory levies. “No one abolished PTA or the involvement of parents in the running of schools,
“What we did was remove the mandatory PTA levies, which often burdened parents. Under the previous system, students could be expelled for owing PTA levies, even if they were about to sit for their final exams,” the former deputy minister added.
He emphasized that the decision to abolish the compulsory levy was to relieve the financial pressure on parents, not to limit their involvement in school activities. “PTA is a voluntary association. Parents should contribute willingly, and if they do, it should be on their own terms. The government stepped in to cover the cost, incorporating it into the recurrent school expenditure, taking the burden off parents,” He explained.
“The role of the PTA in terms of engaging with the school authority never stopped,” he clarified. “We created the Parent Association, and parents continued to engage with schools regularly. If anyone says PTA’s role was reduced, I ask: which engagement suffered—the teachers’ or the parents’?”
He pointed out that teachers remained heavily involved in the running of schools, while parents continued to be active in engaging with school authorities. The only change, according to him, was the removal of the compulsory PTA levy. “It was not about taking away parents’ say; it was about freeing them from the financial burden.”
Rev. Fordjour also questioned the timing of the recent statements, asking if the government intended to reintroduce the compulsory PTA level. He emphasized that the abolition of the levy did not take away parents’ ability to contribute voluntarily or to participate in meetings with school authorities.
He called on the public to ask schools directly whether parent engagement had changed since the levy was removed. “Schools like Wesley Girls, Achimota, and others never stopped holding meetings with parents, and the only thing that changed was the removal of the compulsory levy.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Desmond Offei
