GNACOPS laments closure of private schools over financial debts

The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has lamented the closure of some private schools in the country.

This follows some institutions and banks collapsing a total of two hundred and twenty-two (222) private schools on January 14, 2021, due to the schools’ inability to settle financial debts in the institutions.

According to the Head of Human Resources of GNACOPS, Prince Kwaku Entsie, the collapse of private schools will increase the number of unemployed teachers in the country.

“And as schools have closed down, teachers will continue to lose their jobs, Parents will have the pressure to look for schools nearby or in other regions for their Children. The pressure is going to be on the few government facilities. So I foresee that the rate of unemployment is going to be high,” he said.

Mr. Prince Kwaku Entsie further urged the government and other stakeholders to help and collaborate with bankrupt private schools in the country.

“Government needs to talk to these agencies such as SNNIT, GRA, and other bodies that are always on us. Especially the NIB, this is the time we expect that the NIB should come to the aid of the private schools and even talk about our behave. But the NIB didn’t do that. You are supposed to regulate the private schools and the public schools as well. During this crisis, we never saw or heard a memo from the NIB appealing to the government that, they should come to the aid of the private schools because we contribute also contribute a lot to education. But this is the case we are pleading with them that they should exercise patience and also collaborate well with private schools,” he said.

The Ghana National Council of Private schools (GNACOPS) earlier indicated that a total of 126 private schools have since March 2020 collapsed due COVID-19 outbreak.

The pandemic among other things left many of the schools in a state of financial difficulties, making it hard for many of them to operate a nationwide resumption of school activities.

The Greater Accra Region topped the list with 16 collapsed schools, followed by the Northern Region with 13, Ashanti Region with 11, Eastern Region with 10 and Upper West and, Bono East region with 10schools closed.