Wa, May 31, GNA - The Upper West Regional Secretariat of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of government assisted second cycle schools has appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to treat the PTAs as independent bodies.
It said the GES seemed to have considered the PTAs as a department of the schools operating under the head of the institution thereby issuing directives that violated the authority of the PTAs as independent entities.
A statement signed by Raymond D. Bayor, the Chairman of the Upper West Regional Parent-Teacher Association and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the GES had issued a 'directive that mandates school heads and their accountants who are ex-officio members to be signatories of the PTAs accounts instead of the constitutionally elected executives'.
The Secretariat urged the GES to desist from the act and appealed to it not to interfere with the approval of PTA projects, saying: 'the deliberation and approval of projects by parents was enough for implementation'.
The statement said the non-interference of GES in PTA project approval would ensure swift implementation of PTA projects and cut down expenses inquired through follow-up on GES to approve projects.
The statement alleged that Madam Patricia Ayiko, the Upper West Regional Director of Education had said that the GES did not recognise PTAs at the district, regional and national levels.
'This stance is an attempt to marginalise the PTAs in order to free ride parents.
'If what the Regional Director said is the true posture of the GES towards PTAs, then it is most unfortunate because it is the school PTAs that came together to form the Regional and National Council of PTAs', the statement pointed out.
Madam Ayiko in her reaction, acknowledged the contributions of the PTAs to the development of the schools, but confirmed that the directive was from the former Minister of Education, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.
According to the directive, the GES did not recognise the existence of PTAs at the district, regional and national levels rather it recognised PTAs in schools.
She also explained that a directive from Mr Jacob A. M. Kor, the former Director General of Education, which sought to streamline the administration of PTA levies and fees ordered all heads and accountants of institutions to be signatories to the PTA account.
Madam Ayiko bemoaned the attitudes of some purported executives of the Upper West Regional PTA who directed PTAs of government assisted institutions to pay an amount of 250 Ghana Cedis into an MTN mobile money account as registration fees in order to 'enjoy the full rights and benefits under the umbrella of the National Council' of PTA.
That, she said, was unacceptable since there was no recognised body called the Upper West Regional PTA.
She however urged the district, regional and national PTA secretariats to put in efforts to be officially recognised by the GES.
GNA
By Philip Tengzu, GNA
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