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"You lied to Ghanaians" - NDC to Govt

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 Source: Chronicle

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the honorable Minister of Information, Nana Akomea, and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government of deceiving Ghanaians, when they made a promise last year to absorb increases in school fees for students in the Senior Secondary Schools in the 2003 and 2004 academic year.

Speaking to The Chronicle here yesterday, Alhaji Collins Dauda, the NDC regional chairman, said almost two months after the pledge was made, some secondary schools in the country are chasing parents and guardians to pay the arrears of their wards’school fees, following a directive issued by the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, announcing an increase in the fees in the second cycle institutions.

He said the announcement by the information minister could never hold and therefore urged the people of this country not to believe what Nana Akomea had said.

According to Alhaji Dauda, a front page story in the Graphic of October, 15 last year, with the headline “Min to Absorb Fee Increase for Secondary Schools” quoted the minister as saying “parents, according to the release, would, therefore, pay last year’s rate of ?1,279,000 as the government’s subsidy rises from ?310,000 per student per year to ?394,000 per student per year.”

The publication, the NDC guru added, stated that the Cabinet had directed that the increases in fees for senior secondary schools should be absorbed by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

He said Nana Akomea, as quoted in the said story, explained that the decision of the government followed a request by the Ghana Education Service (GES) for upward adjustments in the payment of school fees.

The NDC regional chairman said however a circular letter, signed by the Director General of GES, Rev. Ama Afo Blay, and dated December 2, 2003, titled ‘Approved fees for 2nd cycle institutions for 2003/2004’ sent to all second cycle institutions in the country, informed all heads of schools about the government’s approval of new bills.

He contended that the said circular with reference No GES/DG.105/II/66, stated that the government would continue to pay the absorbed fees.

Alhaji Dauda said he was surprised when he learnt that the government had rather directed all parents to pay the approved fees of ?513,333 per term and a further amount of ?121,333.00, being arrears of the previous term.

Displaying a letter, signed by the headmaster of Prempeh College, Mr. Owusu-Achiaw, dated 23rd December, 2003, the NDC regional chairman said parents were urged to pay all the fees with a bank draft before their wards reported back to school on the January 19, this year.

Alhaji Dauda, a former MP for Asutifi North, also showed this reporter a receipt from a student of the Sunyani Secondary School, indicating that the affected student had fully paid his fees without any subsidy from the government as pledged by Akomea.

He challenged the government and Hon. Akomea to make their position clear, once and for all.

Source: Chronicle