Headmasters imposing illegal fees on students causing students' dropout – EduWatch

Education Think Tank, Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) has said the unauthorized fees imposed by some headmasters are worrying and causing students drop out.

This comes on the back of the GES interdicting over eleven headmasters from Ashanti, Bono, Eastern, and the Greater Accra regions for allegedly charging Form One students unauthorized fees.

The latest headmasters interdicted for investigation to commence are the Headmasters of Berekum Senior High School, Mr. Afi Yaw Stephen, and Odomaseman Senior High School, Mr. Joseph Jilinjeh Abudu.

They are to hand over to their respective District Directors of Education until any other communication from the GES.

Speaking on Morning Starr with Francis Abban, the Executive Director for EduWatch, Kofi Asare explained that many poor families are affected by these illegal fees imposed on first-year students.

“It is worrying that over 50 schools we have conducted research on, that school heads are imposing illegal fees and making extra demands aside from what their employers that is Ghana Education Service has asked.

“It is worrying because poor parents who cannot afford may be turned away because they may lose interest. I say this because people feel that it is something small, no it is not small,” Mr. Asare stated.

According to him, research that Africa Education Watch has conducted on the cost of Secondary Education in Ghana exposes how much parents will have to pay before students are enrolled.

“My grandson Emmanuel completed Junior High School with aggregate 18 and was placed in Nkawea Technical. We didn’t have the money to purchase the items required for admission and make all payments. He was a boarder. The items will cost around GHC3000. Her mother and I are managing a farm to feed the family. It is not a large-scale farm that sells the crops and saves money for a secondary education. He is currently home doing nothing. If help comes through for us we will let him go back to school next academic year. (May 2023),” excepts from a yet-to-be-released report by EduWatch.

Mr. Asare said GHC3000 denied the students from poor families access to education even though there is free education.

He further stated that the development is worrying with respect to the high sums of money parents have to pay adding that some parents are paying double what the government has sanctioned.