Parents complain about illegal fees

17-11-08
Page 11

A DISPUTE has arisen between some parents and the authorities of some public and private junior high schools (JHSs) over the alleged demand of illegal fees in the just-ended registration for the 2009 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Some basic schools which were charging above the required registration fees include the Kaneshie Awudome Junior High School, the Abavana Down JHS, Abelemkpe Community JHS, Kaneshie North JHS and Boundary Road JHS.
With the exception of Awudome JHS which charged GH¢ 10, the rest charged GH¢ 12.
Following complaints by some parents about the collection of extra fees by the authorities of the schools in question, checks conducted by the Daily Graphic at the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) revealed that the subsidised cost of registration for the BECE examination was GH¢ 5.1 per pupil.
However, parents of final-year JHS students were asked to pay between GH¢ 10 and GH¢30, which was far in excess of what parents and guardians were supposed to pay.
Further enquiries made at some public and private schools in and outside Accra indicated that parents and guardians were paying more than double what they were supposed to pay for the registration.
One of the heads who pleaded anonymity said the cost of photographs and banker’s draft were factored into the registration, leading to the increased figures.
The Director of the Basic Education Division of the GES, Mr Stephen Adu, confirmed to the Daily Graphic that indeed each final-year JHS student was supposed to pay GH¢ 5.1, but the GES had received reports of the illegal registration fees being charged by schools.
He explained that the original cost per pupil for the examination was GH ¢17, but because the government was paying GH¢ 11.9 as subsidy per student, parents were required to pay only GH¢ 5.1 per child.
The Head of the National Examination Administration Department (NEAD) of WAEC, Mr Kweku Nyamekye Aidoo, also confirmed this.
The President of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS), Mr Godwin Sowah, said the cost of BECE registration varied from school to school.
For instance, he said, schools which were not examination centres included the cost of transporting candidates to and from examinations as well as taking of pictures and snacks for students during the examinations.
A number of parents and students confirmed to the Daily Graphic that moneys they paid ranged between GH¢ 10 and GH¢ 30. They would, however, not want the names of their children’s schools to be mentioned since they believed the practice occurred in almost every JHS.
“I was asked to pay GH¢ 30 for my daughter’s registration by a school in Accra, A. Acquaye, told the Daily Graphic.
Efo Kofi, another parent who said he paid GH¢ 20, said the action of the heads of the schools was not fair, and suggested that the necessary action should be taken against heads of schools who were found to have engaged in the illegal act.
He said most parents in the rural areas would not be able to pay the registration fees, and that it was time the GES acted.
“I paid GH¢ 20 for the BECE registration of my child at a very popular school,” a parent who wanted to remain anonymous said.
According to Mr Adu, the GES was issuing a circular to heads of basic schools on the issue since nobody had asked them to charge more than the approved fee.
He said some heads had claimed that they were charging above the stipulated fees because they factored in the cost of banker’s draft, photographs, hiring of extra teachers to prepare students and some tests to prepare the students ahead of the main examination in April next year.
Mr Adu who deplored the attitude of the heads, believed that the final-year students should be allowed to take their own pictures, adding that any other amount regarding the hiring of teachers and tests should have been communicated to parents, charged separately and not be added to the main fees for the examination.
He said the GES took strong exception to the practice and would respond appropriately if heads failed to heed the circular that would be issued this week.
The 2009 BECE registration, which began on October 3, 2008, ended on the 14th of this month.