Some teachers in the Ga South Municipality in the Greater Accra Region have expressed displeasure over the manner in which monies generated in the various schools in the municipalities are paid to the Municipal Education Directorate without any proper accountability.
According to the teachers, some head teachers of basic schools in the municipality have unilaterally agreed to levy Junior High School (JHS) one and two pupils GH¢ 1.00, JHS three GH¢ 2.00 and primary school pupils 70 pesewas as extra classes fees every day.
The number of schools engaged in the charging of the fees is as high as 80.
Sources told the paper that every two weeks, part of the money accrued is paid to the Ghana Education Service (GES) directorate in the municipality for fuelling of vehicles and administrative purposes.
The teachers told the DAILY HERITAGE that aside the extra classes fees, every primary and JHS school in the municipality charges GH¢ 8.00 and GH¢ 10.00 respectively per pupil as exams fees of which GH¢ 3.00 and GH¢ 3.50p respectively is paid to the municipal education directorate.
The Ga South Municipal Assembly consists of areas such Weija-Gbawe, Negleshie-Amanfro-Bortianor and Obom-Domebra constituencies.
“For the past five years, there hasn’t been any accountability from the directorate as to the reason why these monies are paid or the purpose they are used for in relation to education in the municipality,” they said.
The situation, the teachers said, had brought untold hardship on parents in the area as some pupils were sacked from school to collect classes’ fees and a good number of those pupils failed to go back to school to learn because their parents may have already gone to work.
Reacting to the allegations raised, the Public Relations Officer of the education directorate, Mr Seth Apraku Dankwa, said extra classes and exams fees are collected in all the 16 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the region and that charging of the fees is not new.
Mr Dankwa said due to stoppage of government subventions to GES since 2012, the directorate had been depending on monies generated from the schools to run their office with regard to fuelling vehicles and administrative purposes.
Concerning repetition, the PRO said pupils were repeated with the consent of parents, adding that in situations where parents are not in agreement, the pupils are allowed to move to the next class.
He dismissed the allegation that the head teachers and GES use transfers as punishment, adding that in most situations the transfers are justified based on the offence and security of the teacher.
Mr Dankwa appealed to the GES to supply them furniture as most of the schools lacked school desks and there were also limited space to operate properly.
<<Print>>