MoE reacts to GES claim for PAs to raise funds to support Free SHS

The Ministry of Education (MoE) says it has not approved government pre-tertiary schools Parent Associations(PAs) formerly Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) to raise funds to support the flagship Free Senior High School (Free SHS).

Deputy spokesperson for the Education Ministry, Yaw Opoku Mensah reacting to the claim in a social media post sighted by Thisterm.com urged the general public to disregard any such news information circulation online.

The Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare on his part citing Section 8 of the Parent Associations guidelines said: PAs could undertake projects to support the development and growth of the schools to which they are related.

He in a social media post added that Section 12 of the Parent Associations guidelines also states that PAs may consider all fund raising avenues to support the schools, but shall not levy any student/pupil.

But the Ghana Education Service reacting to the founder of the education think tank’s comment said it does that mean it has sanctioned parents to raise funds to support the Free Senior High School policy as reported by the media.

In a related development, the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA) Council following the release of a document to guide their operation in pre-tertiary schools says they were not consulted by the Ghana Education Service on the new Parent Associations guidelines.

The PTA Council in a discussion with the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (EduWatch), Kofi Asare said Ghana Education Service has unilaterally changed its name from National PTA Council to Parents Association (PA).

“I have sighted the Ghana Education Service’s (GES) new Parent Teacher Association (PTA) guidelines, and spoken to the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA) Council. I hear the Council wasn’t even consulted.”