Government approves school fees for second cycle institutions

Government has approved GH¢388.84 as boarding fees for the first term first year students in public second cycle schools for the 2012-2013 academic year, Mr. Lee Ocran, Minister of Education has announced.

He said Day Students for the first year, first term will also pay GH¢152.50, while foreign students were required to pay a tuition fee of GH¢468.00 per term.

Mr. Lee Ocran, made these known at a meeting with Conference of Heads of Assistance Secondary Schools (CHASS) in Accra on Thursday to state government’s position clearer to parents as far as charging of school fees was concerned.

He said the Education Ministry had received a lot of complaints from parents that some heads of schools were charging between GH¢80.00 and GH¢1,200 in addition to the approved fees, thereby making it difficult for some of them to raise the money.

The Education Minister said government was subsiding sport, culture, and sanitation fees as well as electricity and water bills. The subsidy also covered textbook user fee, practical fee, tools and maintenance of mechanical for technical institutions, building maintenance as well as furniture maintenance.

Mr. Ocran appealed to heads of cycle schools to spread payment of school uniform, church uniform, school crest, medical examination, outing uniform, book fees, ceremonial dress, and compulsory core literature book over the three terms and not to lump them and slap them at once on parents.

He called on executives of the CHASS to police their colleagues properly to ensure that the right fees were charged in order not over burden parents.

Mr. Samuel Ofori-Adjei, Chairman of the CHASS, assured the Minister that the Executive would collaborate with their colleagues to implement the approved fees and spread all other fees over the three terms to help reduce any burden on parents.