GES sets committee to investigate illegal fees collection

Nkawkaw (E/R), Jan 12, GNA - The Kwahu West District Directorate of Education had set up a nine-member committee to investigate allegations of collection of unauthorized printing, mock and extra classes fees from public basic school children pupils by some heads in the district last term.

According to sources close to the Directorate, almost all the heads of public schools in the Kwahu West District collected various sums of money ranging between 7 and 15,000 cedis from basic school children to print examination questions to conduct terminal and mock examinations for the primary and JSS pupils, since the capitation grants could not cater for those examination.

Speaking to Ghana News Agency in an interview at Nkawkaw on Thursday, the District Director of Education, Mr Seth Koranteng, said the committee was set up following series of complaints by parents and a letter written by one Mr Gorden Mensah, a parent, about the collection of unauthorized fees from the pupils for the conduct of the examination. He said the recommendation of the committee would be implemented to solve the problem once and for all.

When some of the school heads were contacted, they said it was the Parents- Teachers-Association (PTA) of the various schools, who decided to pay those fees to conduct the examinations, since the capitation grant was inadequate.

According to the head teachers, only 12,800 cedis out of the proposed 30,000 cedis capitation grants had been received for each school pupil as at the end of last term, which could not cater for the conduct of terminal and mock examinations.

The Head teachers said out of the amount received, a percentage was deducted for sports and cultural activities, while the rest were spent for rehabilitation work and other projects in the schools. They said the fees paid by the PTA were their contributions to supplement government's efforts to enhance teaching and learning in the basic schools. 12 Jan 06