‘Huge and heavily-laden’ SHS prospectus burdens parents, must be reviewed – Dafeamekpor

Majority Chief Whip in Parliament and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has called for a review of the items students are required to provide when entering senior high school (SHS).

He described the current prospectus for fresh students as “huge and heavily-laden” and said it was placing an unnecessary financial burden on parents.

According to him, the cost of providing the listed items has also become a recurring concern for Members of Parliament, who are often approached by parents for financial assistance.

“Honestly, must a fresh SHS Student present all these listed items to school as a freshman or woman?” Dafeamekpor wrote in a social media post on Wednesday, September 16.

The prospectus includes a wide range of personal, academic and boarding items for both male and female students.

For boarders, the list includes mattresses and pillows, suitcases or chop boxes, buckets, towels, toiletries, plates, bowls, drinking cups, cutlery, water bottles, lunch boxes and clothing.

Students are also required to provide items such as shoes, sweaters, underwear, nightwear, sanitary pads, mosquito nets, blankets, bedsheets, handkerchiefs and torches, among others.

The list also includes items such as electric irons, raincoats or umbrellas, sewing kits, Bible or Quran, permanent markers and school-specific prep wear.

Female students are additionally required to provide items including sanitary pads, black underskirts, white chemises and an African print cloth, while male students are required to provide items such as boxer shorts, singlets and a full piece of African print cloth.

Dafeamekpor said the extensive list has become a major concern for parents, particularly those who struggle to meet the financial demands associated with sending their children to boarding school.