The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has appealed to headteachers across the country to desist from students charging unauthorized fees.

Zakaria Suleman Yeboah, Ashanti Regional Chairman of CHASS, cautioned headteachers to stringently comply with the Ghana Education Service’s directives to avert interdictions.

This comes on the back of the interdiction of 11 headteachers for allegedly charging fees not sanctioned by the Ghana Education Service.

In an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Monday, Mr. Yeboah said, “We have advised them, we are still advising them to stick to the rules of the game. We have informed them that henceforth all items that students are supposed to buy they should stop it. And then those who are not doing it too, they have to keep their faith in the rules.”

“And I must say that in the Ashanti Region, we have almost 151 senior high schools, so if seven out of the 151 have been found culpable, I think that the rest are doing the right thing. And even those who are found culpable, we are still not sure whether they committed the crime or not. So I will plead with my members in the Ashanti Region and across the country to desist from charging any unauthorized fees.”

Similarly, Angel Carbonu, President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), has issued a strong warning to headteachers nationwide to comply with the government’s policy banning the sale of any items to students in schools.

In an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on December 9, Mr. Carbonu emphasized: “Let me caution my colleagues and my senior colleagues if GES under the control of the Ministry of Education is giving out a policy indicating that no school should sell any item to students either within the school premises or outside the school premises, they should just comply. No officer of the Ghana Education Service should make him or herself a salesman or a saleswoman to sell any item to parents or students.”

He further noted that while the rationale behind selling items might be valid, disregarding GES directives carries significant risk.

“Sometimes the reason these items are supposed to be sold is for very good reasons, mostly in the interest of the students themselves, but if the owner of the job, your employer has directed you not to sell why do you put yourself in harm’s way?”

“You will just have to abide by that rule so that the consequences of that rule will be evident to the employer for the employer to rather amend its policy or maintain the policy.”

Citinewsroom