Educationist advises headteachers on control ofPTA funds

Fiaso (B/A) July 15, GNA - Mr. Kwabena Agyemang-Badu, Acting Techiman Municipal Director of Education has urged heads of schools to desist from controlling fees belonging to Parent-Teacher Associations to avoid challenges and criticisms from the people. Addressing a meeting of the PTA of Fiaso Junior Secondary School, near Techiman, Mr. Agyemang-Badu deplored the practice by some heads to keep and utilize PTA fees anyhow, stressing that the parents must enjoy the right to control the funds.

"When head teachers misappropriate the fees, they give chance to parents to speak against them and even refuse to offer support for the development of schools", he said.

The acting Municipal Director said studies had revealed that head teachers who embezzled such funds also found it very difficult to organise PTA meetings for fear of being questioned by the parents.

Mr. Agyemang-Badu, also the district director of education for Nkoranza stressed the need for the heads of schools to allow executives of PTAs to manage the fees and in consultation with Them, initiate development programmes.

He appealed to parents to attend PTA meetings regularly to contribute to discussions towards the development of the schools and the enhancement of the education of their children.

Mr. Agyemang-Badu advised head teachers and headmasters to ensure that any funds they spent in the schools benefited the children. On the use of the capitation grants released to primary schools under the Pilot Programmatic Scheme (PPS) project, the district director advised the head teachers to enter expenses they made in cash books to be able to properly account for them.

The Reverend Kubi Asuamah Yeboah, Assistant Director in-charge of Budget and Planning said the head teachers could spend such funds to purchase training and learning materials, to promote enrolment drive, organize in-service training courses or offer support for needy children.