EduWatch Director sends message to SHS heads over fee levying

Mr Kofi Asare, the Director of Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) has advised heads of various government Senior High Schools to desist from fee levying not approved by the Ministry of Education or Ghana Education Service (GES).

In a social media post sighted by AcademicWeek, the education think tank Director said: “Dear Senior High School (SHS) Heads, unlike Basic Education, you can’t collect money under Free Senior High School without sanctions.”

His advice comes after the Ghana Education Service under the auspices of the Ministry of Education interdicted, Mr Kenneth Agbomadze, the headmaster of Fijai Senior High School over alleged collecting of fees in the school.

GES in a statement shared with AcademicWeek said his interdiction pends further investigation into the extortion of fees. “He is to hand over administration of the school to the Western Regional Director of Education,” it said.

The investigative committee set up to probe the alleged collection of illegal fees by the immediate past headmaster of Fijai Senior High School according to GES management has been given two weeks to submit a report to them.

In a developing story, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called on the Ghana Education Service to reinstate the headmaster and senior housemaster of Ghana Senior High School it has suspended over an unfortunate incident.

The call comes after GES following a viral video relieved off duty the headmaster of Ghana Senior High School, Douglas Haruna Yakubu and Senior housemaster Sayibu Fusseini for using toilet cubicles as dormitories for students.

In a press statement shared with AcademicWeek, the management of the Education Service said it has directed the headmaster and Senior housemaster of GHANASCO to step aside to allow further probe into the matter.

“Headmaster and the Senior Housemaster have been directed to step aside to allow for further investigations into the matter by the Regional Director of Education and report back in two weeks,” the Ghana Education Service (GES) said.

But, the General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah Tanko reacting to the decision has said GES should rather be concerned with paying Capitation Grant to teachers and subventions to schools than taking hasty decisions.

In an interview with TV3 monitored by AcademicWeek, he said Ghana Education Service (GES) should have acted with caution as it did not have a full grasp of the situation before sanctioning the headmaster and the housemaster.

“The difficulty I had when I heard the news was that will a headmaster go and put students in a toilet? Will they do that? Will a rational human being do that?” the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) member quizzed.