<<Print>>

Parents and the entire teaching staff of Mangoase Senior High School in the Akuapem North District of the Eastern region are up in arms with the headmaster of the school, Sampson Agyari- Nyarko , for imposing illegal levies on fresh students without the approval of the Staff or Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The headmaster is collecting GH�100.00 and GH�50.00 from fresh students who were not posted to the school under the Computerized Placement System and those posted to the school respectively. According to the teachers, the action of the headmaster is a mere extortion since the monies are not accounted for neither are they used for development-�rather they go into his own pocket since no receipt is issued,� they alleged. Investigations conducted into the allegations by the teachers confirmed the act by the headmaster, when the reporter disguised as a parent seeking admission for his child who was not posted to the school. During interaction, the headmaster asked the reporter to bring result slips of the child and add GH 100.00 as plastic chair levy with the explanation that if the child was posted to the school, he would have only paid GH�50.00. The conversation with the headmaster was secretly recorded by the reporter. During the investigations, it was uncovered that some poor parents who were unaware of these illegal levies were asked to go back home and bring the money before they would be allowed to register their children. Some of the parents the reporter spoke to expressed anger at the headmaster's directives and appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to investigate and halt the extortion currently ongoing in the school. However, the headmaster, Agyari-Nyarko explained that, the levies being collected have received endorsement from the teaching staff, adding that the monies will be used to purchase plastic chairs, as well as undertake other developmental projects in the school. When the reporter drew the attention of the headmaster to the GH�10.00 development levy approved by the GES and is already being paid by students as part of their fees, the headmaster explained that, the levy is small looking at the enormous challenges facing the school. He said, through his efforts, a dining hall and other projects have been constructed in the school. Further information gathered by the paper indicated that, the PTA is unhappy about the management style of the headmaster, especially, on financial management. The PTA has written several letters and held meetings with the headmaster to release part of the PTA dues for the association to use for development, but the headmaster has refused to do, creating the suspicion that the money has been spent.