FREE SHS: Nungua SHS Charging Over GHC170 For Uniforms

More reports continue to put into question the scope of free education in Ghana, as checks by Citi News at the Nungua Senior High School in Accra indicate that students are being charged for school uniforms.

The government has consistently noted that the cost for school uniforms has been absorbed under the free Senior High School programme.

The one-time fee government is covering for first-year students under the free SHS policy, is GHc 435 for day students, and GHc438 for boarding students, according to the Ministry of Education.

As part of this one-time fee, the government allocated GHc 100 for two sets of school uniforms and GHc 90 for two sets of school house attires for borders.

The recurrent items under the policy include library fees, development levies, teacher motivation, house dues, among others, amounting to GHc 105.

But following a visit to Nungua SHS, it emerged that male students were being charged GHc 184 for their uniforms, while the girls were being charged GHc 175 for theirs’.

A receipt was issued for the amount after the money was paid, as sighted by Citi News.

The amount charged for the school uniforms, was however not contingent on the students’ admissions, according to a student who spoke to Citi News.

“…as for admission, they had already done that. You start the admission then you pay that money for your school uniforms,” she said.

The school authorities declined to speak to Citi News, saying they were only answerable to the Ghana Education Service and not any media house.

The Ghana Education Service has already relieved two head teachers of their posts and interdicted others, pending investigations, for allegedly charging illegal fees under the free SHS policy.

19 teachers had been invited for questioning by the GES to respond to allegations that they were requesting parents and guardians to pay fees already absorbed by the government under its free SHS policy.

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By: Anas Seidu/citifmoniline.com/Ghana