Headteacher faces demotion

30-04-09

Head teacher to be demoted for collecting unapproved fees
THE Head Teacher of the Kaneshie Bishop Two Junior High School (JHS), Ms Comfort Nyarko, is to be demoted for asking pupils to pay an unapproved levy of GH¢5 each as their contribution towards the funeral of a dead teacher.
While some of the pupils were able to make the payment, others could not pay and they were sacked from school by the head teacher.
Ms Nyarko is being demoted from her current position to that of a class teacher.
The Accra Metropolitan Director of Education, Nii Okaidja Dinsey, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said the decision had been taken to demote Ms Nyarko because the findings of a committee set up to investigate the matter revealed that she collected the money from some students and asked those who could not pay to go home.
He said in the course of the investigations into the matter, following media reports, the head teacher accepted the charges made against her, adding that although she apologised and pleaded for leniency, the decision to demote her had been taken to serve as a deterrent to other teachers.
Mr Dinsey described the action of the head teacher as unnecessary, since the Ghana Education Service (GES) had warned head teachers and teachers against the collection of unapproved levies.
He said apart from circulars issued to that effect, advertisers’ announcements had been made in the newspapers warning teachers against engaging in such acts.
He said during the investigations, the head teacher said the dead teacher had been good and that the collection of the money was to help support his family.
Mr Dinsey said the demotion was part of disciplinary measures contained in the GES code of conduct and that although the action was yet to be communicated to the head teacher, the decision had been taken and sanctioned.
He said Ms Nyarko would be written to when school reopened.
The director appealed to teachers who hid behind parent-teacher associations (PTAs) to collect or extort money from pupils to stop that practice, since disciplinary action would be taken against them when they were caught.
Mr Dinsey said the GES recognised and appreciated the contributions of the PTAs and asked them to seek approval from the service before collecting any money from parents.
“We cannot do without the PTAs because we are fighting for the common goal of pupils,” he said, and indicated that the current action against Ms Nyarko was not witch-hunt but administrative.