Schools charging additional levy to be sanctioned

The Ministry of Education says it will sanction any Senior High School (SHS) that charges additional fees outside the standardized fees.

According to the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Alex Kyeremeh, the ministry would not accept additional levying of students without prior approval from his outfit.

He said: “If any school has plans to charge any levy outside the standardised fees, I humbly plead that they go through the laid down procedures to get approval,” he said.

Mr Kyeremeh gave the warning when he delivered an address at the 25th-anniversary celebration of the Ashaiman Senior High School on the theme: “Changing Trends in our Educational System – Challenges.”

He said the government has responded to the changing trends in education by investing heavily in secondary education to improve access and quality teaching and expansion, especially in underserved communities and to develop the skills of students.

Mr Kyeremeh, who is also the Member of Parliament for Techiman South, said government has absorbed 10 fee items like examination, entertainment, library, Student Representative Council, sports, culture, science development, science and mathematics quiz, information communication technology and co-curricular to ease the cost burden on parents for day students.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the significant reliefs to parents under the progressive secondary education programme do not remove the responsibility of parents to contribute to their children’s education,” he said.

He said parents would have to bear the cost of admission fees and parent-teacher-association levies and provide uniforms, books, cumulative records, medical examination and physical education kits.

The Deputy Minister said performance in mathematics and science at the secondary level has historically been low, and government has resolved to confront the problem to improve teachers and students outputs.

Mr Kyeremeh advised the students to take their books seriously and improve on their academic performance.