GES replies NPTA Council letter over Parent Association guidelines

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has addressed a letter from the National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTAs) to its Director-General, Dr Eric Nkansah over concerns of their name change to Parent-Associations (PAs).

This comes after the Council citing the code of conduct for pre-tertiary schools called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to immediately reverse its new name as Parent Association (PA) to the original Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).

But in a statement sighted by Thisterm.com, the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) said it does not have any form of relationship with the National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTAs).

“Parent Associations or Parent Teacher Associations in the past have always been school-specific with no national orientation. The clear criteria for becoming a member of the Association is to be a parent or guardian with a child/ward in the said school in which the association operates.

The GES has not excluded teachers from participating in the association. In fact, clause 6 clearly articulates that a teacher or staff of a school that has a child or ward in the school may join the association, including becoming an executive of the association

Clause 6 further encourages school authorities to provide any administrative support that the association may require in promoting the interest of the school.

In the current dispensation where the government has absorbed all fees, including intervention grants, GES saw the need to update its guidelines on how parent associations are to operate in our schools.

The intention is to ensure that we establish welcoming learning environments for our students, and we continue to believe that parents are critical partners in the delivery of education.

We will, therefore, not compromise on that partnership as reflected in the school-specific associations and the support they provide to their schools,” the Ghana Education Service (GES) said in the press release dated January 18, 2023.