Headmaster demands GHC150 from new students as 'furniture fees'

Despite directives from the Ministry of Education to all heads of Senior High Schools to stop charging all kinds of fees following the introduction of free Senior High School, some schools are still demanding cash from fresh students.

Atinka News on Monday exposed the headmaster of Dorfor SHS in the North Tongu district of the Volta Region after charging GHC1000 as tuition fees from new SHS students. He later apologized and refunded monies to the affected students.

The latest official to be exposed by our news team is the headmaster of LA Presbyterian Senior High School, Mr. Samuel Salamark Bavosya.

He has instructed his accountants to take between GHC180 and GHC200 from fresh students. The school described the payment as furniture fees.

Mr Bavosya later confirmed the existence of such fees after initially denying. He explained that the fees would enable the school repair many broken desks in the school and insisted that, the move was not in contravention of GES directives.

“If you don’t pay, you will stand till government brings in new chairs”, a parent quoted one senior official of the school.

A Junior official at the accounts department told Atinka News he was instructed by the headmaster to take monies from the students.

The parents who were visibly helpless had no option than to pay the said fees.

Meanwhile, the government has warned heads of Senior High Schools (SHS) not to deny students who don’t pay Parent Teacher Association (PTA) dues.

Speaking on Accra based Joy FM Tuesday, a Deputy Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said even though schools are allowed to charge PTA dues with clearance from the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council, it cannot be the basis upon which a student should be denied entry to the classroom.