School authorities must seek approval before charging levies - Minister

Accra, May 16, GNA - Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister of Education has announced that school authorities should seek written approval from the Ghana Education Service (GES) before they charge any fees. "It should be noted that some schools have taken the advantage to charge arbitrarily, which is denying many brilliant but needy pupils access to secondary education."

Mr Tettey-Enyo, who made the announcement at the 71st anniversary speech and prize-giving day of the Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School (PRESEC) on Saturday, said efforts should be made by Boards of Governors to control and regulate the fees charged by schools in the name of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs).

He said for example, on most students' bills it could be found fees such as PTA dues, PTA levies, extra classes' allowances, cost of text books, novels and others, adding that; "We all have a role to play in making secondary education more affordable." Mr Tettey-Enyo, who is also a Member of Parliament for Ada said it would be a good idea for school authorities to provide and maintain good libraries and encourage students to patronize them instead of compelling all students to purchase certain types of books at high costs. "We look forward to school authorities identifying other avenues to encourage those who have to contribute to support students' learning instead of making it compulsory for all students to procure the same items even if parents cannot afford." He said PTA executives as well as school authorities should be mindful of the decisions made in respect of levies. "Much as we approve of the support systems that are provided to complement the efforts of government, the basic principle of affordability and approval by the specified authorities should not be sacrificed."

The anniversary has the theme; "Building Quality Human Resource for National Development - The Role of the State". Mr Tettey-Enyo said government has identified its objectives on the need to ensure that the youth were provided with the educational opportunities and experiences that would produce the expertise required for the development of the nation. The Minister noted that government recognized that the provision of equitable quality education holds the key to national development and would continue to fulfill the constitutional mandate at all levels in the education delivery system.

"Government by constitutional mandate remains the major provider in all spheres of education and this has brought an enormous responsibility in terms of costs in the provision of quality education." He said government would however, remain committed to providing the needed facility and equipment for all levels of education taking cognizance of the level of depravity with the intent of providing equity in education.

Mr Tettey-Enyo said support would continuously be given to all the agencies in education to enhance service delivery for the achievement of quality education. He said building of quality human resource for national development had not over the years been the responsibility of government alone and therefore commended stakeholders who in diverse ways contributed to the development of education in the country. "It is worth noting however that, community participation and collaboration of all stakeholders in this respect would be needed to complement the efforts of government as we strive for quality education."

Mr Tettey-Enyo noted that disciplinary issues was gradually becoming a canker in the fabric of school life and therefore it required the collaborative efforts of the home, school, church and the community to address them.

The Minister said there were acts which do not only expose students to harm but also deny the schools funds which are supposed to be used to provide other services. There are also other practices such as petty thefts, extortion of money from juniors, occult practices, cutting classes, truancy, smoking, alcoholism, destructions and in very recent times computer fraud.

He said to eliminate these practices it demanded the collective efforts of all stakeholders, school authorities, teachers, parents, and the community to monitor the behaviour of students at all times. "Education will not be whole and the quality factor inherent in it would be debased if the individual, having acquired the requisite experiences in education has no morals."

Mr Tettey-Enyo said though PRESEC has made an envious impression in education delivery, particularly in the sciences more efforts were needed to maintain the standards that have been set, adding that, the school should not be seen to be leaning on its old glories but continue to strive for excellence both morally and academically. Professor Rudolph Darko, Lecturer, Department of Surgery, University of Ghana Medical School, Korle-Bu who was the guest of honour told the students that if they want to be active participants and citizens in the global developments of the 21st century then they must improve and strengthen themselves academically, especially in science. Prof Darko said it would be beneficial for all the secondary schools to have their own science resource centres as science-teaching methods have become more laboratory-based. He appealed to corporate bodies, especially major beneficiaries of science and technology education to support the promotion of science and technology in the country in order to be able to supply the scientific skills needed by industry.

Prof Darko said Government should place a new emphasis on science in teacher training so that the country have teachers for the first cycle who have science background as well as pay allowance to those science teachers to encourage them to handle the subjects effectively. Right Rev Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, in an address read on his behalf by Mrs Patience Arthur-Badoo, General Manager of Presby Schools said together, Ghanaians should fight against financial malfeasance, recalcitrant behaviour and the upsurge of occult practices and fraud, such as "Sakawa", which were fast deteriorating the moral fibre of both students and staff in institutions.

He said the church frowned on any behaviour which tarnished the image of the schools and the Presbyterian Church as a whole. "Therefore in celebrating this event of 71 years, not only are we acknowledging the good work done by your predecessors, but more importantly accepting the challenge to follow in their stead for the present and future and to move the school forward and make it a beacon of hope for Presbyterian Church, on one hand and a place of academic excellence in the entire country," Rt Rev Dr Frimpong-Manso urged. 16 May 09