EducationSOCIAL DEV'T NEWS

Two Basic School Heads, PTA Executives Lie After Charging Unapproved BECE Registration Fees

Two head teachers, Mr. Doklo (Assistant head) of Nuaso Presby JHS and a headmistress (name withheld for further inquiry) have given false explanation to why their respective schools charged additional unapproved Basic Education Certificate Examination registration fees, despite government efforts to make the system free and accessible for public basic schools.

The government has absorbed the registration fees of 2018 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates in all Public Junior High Schools.

The registration fee is GHc 75.00 per candidate in both private and government schools.

This was contained in a letter dated 8th November, 2017, sighted by Community Watch, from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to the Metropolitan, Municipal, District and Directors of Education.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has on 13 December, 2017, has charged   all  heads of public Junior High Schools to take other administrative expenses from the capitation grant of their respective schools, and further; cautioned  including district directors not to charge any money on candidates.

“Management wishes to inform you that, the other administrative charges should be taken from the Capitation Grant of the schools. We wish to emphasized once more that, District Directors and Heads of Junior High School are cautioned not to take any money from the candidates.”

Copy of communique copied to Directors and Heads of public junior high schools, sighted by Rite FM

The said schools have charged and collected GHc 100.00 from parents to further up the BECE registration process. While Nuaso Presby JHS refunded Ghc 45.00 to parents, the school in Akuse circuit on the other hand kept the full amount collected without any plans to refund it, a close source revealed.

Each of the schools itemized the charges as follows.

Processing or overhead cost, Ghc 10.00; passport photograph, Ghc 7.00, two municipal mock examinations, Ghc 20.00; BECE summit cost, Ghc 10.00 and Science practical cost of Ghc 8.00.

According to both heads, their decision to charge the additional amount was necessitated by a directive from the Lower Manya Krobo Munical Education Directorate.

When Rite FM Community Watch made a follow-up to the authorities of the Nuaso Presbyterian School authorities, the school called on the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to jump to their defense.

Meanwhile the PTA in defence, concorde with the explanation offered by the teachers saying all charged fees were approved fees from the education directorate.

However, checks by Rite FM from the Municipal Education Director, Miss Rose Yaa Akanyi, indicated that the explanation given by the two heads were untrue and parents must hold onto any further payments requested by the school authorities in relation to the BECE registration.

“Management and the directorate is aware of the system and has not mandated any head to charge for mock or processing fee from any parent,” the director said.

Madam Akanyi promised to send out officers from the directorate to investigate the issues cropping up from the two schools since government has warned all directors not to approve of any unapproved fees.

The BECE is required for both the certification and selection into Senior High Schools and Technical Institutions.

Source: Omanba Kodwo Boafo/ritefmonline.org/omanbaboafo84@gmail.com

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