Schools can collect PTA dues: GES council

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has said schools can collect Parent and Teacher Association (PTA) dues under the free Senior High School policy.

However, the council has warned that students who are unable to pay should not be sent home because of their parent's inability to pay the dues.

Chairman of the GES governing council, Michael Nsowah, who made the disclosure in a broadcast interview said children do not work and have no source of money and therefore they could not be held liable if their parents were unable to pay the PTA dues.

“The PTA is an association of matured people. They have come together to support the running of schools, which is a good thing and nobody has said they cannot collect fees,” he said on Citi FM.

He continued: “All that the ministry is saying is that, when you want to collect PTA fees, make sure that the collection does not result in a student being sent out of school because of the parent’s inability to pay the fees,”

“…children don’t work and by international convention, they are not supposed to contribute to any fund. It is the parent who made the pledge to contribute and if the parent is unable to contribute, why do you send the child home?”

He made the comments after the Ghana Education Service demoted two headmasters and interdicted 9 others.