By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Managers of Ghana’s basic and secondary schools, the Ghana Education Service (GES), says it has barred Parents Associations (PAs), formally known as Parents Teachers Associations (PTA) from imposing any fees on students or pupils.
This, according to the service, is to ensure that no student or pupil is denied access to any school facilities or services because his or her parents failed to pay the PAs levy or fees.
The GES also announced that PAs can fundraise in support of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
It explained that PAs may explore diverse fundraising avenues for school development but are prohibited from imposing any fees on students or pupils.
This was contained in a recently released guidelines document by GES for the operation of Parents Associations in Pre-tertiary schools.
There have been concerns about the operations of PTAs that supposedly thwarted the government’s efforts at ensuring universal access to education, specifically at the SHS level.
This was due to the outrageous imposition of levies by some PTAs which sought to defeat the purpose for which the Free SHS policy was introduced.
In response to these developments, the management of GES suspended the imposition of levies in all schools.
It also directed the reorganisation of the Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs) to Parent Associations (PAs) to limit the involvement of management and staff of the school.
The GES emphasised that PAs should operate independently, separate from school management and staff.
According to GES, PAs could undertake projects to support the development and growth of the schools to which they are related, but it emphasised that the management of the schools shall have full authority over the handling of such projects without interference from PAs.
GES stated that PAs may, through the management of the school, offer support to teachers/staff of the school through the provision of incentive packages and other welfare schemes.
It maintained that no child shall be discriminated against or given preferential treatment in the official duties of the teacher/staff to which that incentive or welfare package is related.
“Aside from contributions made by PAs, individual parents/guardians may make voluntary donations or contributions to the school as that individual deems fit and such donation shall not confer any preference or privilege to any student in terms of access to and use of the facility or donation,” GES said.
The GES in the document clarified that although school management should not be signatories to Parents Associations’ activities, they can participate without assuming liability for decisions made.
However, PAs are required to submit their annual activities and plans for approval by school management.
Additionally, the accounts of PAs will undergo annual audits, and audit reports must be submitted to Regional Directors for forwarding to the Director General of the Ghana Education Service.
