Free SHS: GES sacks two heads for extortion

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has sacked two senior high school headmasters for extorting money from students despite strict directives from the Ministry of Education that no student enrolled under the Free SHS programme should be charged any fees.

The sacking of the Headmaster of Pentecost SHS and Assistant Headmaster of Daffour SHS was announced by the Director General of the GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwaah Thursday.

He said a total of nine school heads have been interdicted for extorting monies from students.

The nine, Mr Opoku Amankwaah said, were sanctioned following investigations into extortion allegations against 19 heads.

It is recalled that Deputy Minister of Education Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum recently said parents must not pay any fees demanded by heads of senior high schools since the government is taking care of all such expenses beginning this September as part of the Free SHS policy.

“Students are not supposed to pay any fees”, he told journalists at a press conference on Monday, 4 August. “As a matter of fact, PTA-levied fees like utilities, development levy, and even teacher motivation is going to be paid by the government, as a result, we’ve made it abundantly clear to headmasters that money should not be the reason why a student should not go to school, therefore no parent should receive a bill.”

Dr Adutwum said even “if PTA meets and decides in consultation with GES that there is something they want to do and they want parents to contribute, it will not be mandatory. If Mr Kojo Mensah doesn’t have money to make that contribution for his ward, the student will not be prevented from going to school.”