The Ghana Education Service has interdicted nine headmasters who have been allegedly involved in extorting monies from new entrants who are beneficiaries of the Free SHS Policy by government.
The interdicted heads include:
Headmistress of Kwenyarko SHS Mrs Florence Pra
Ahantaman SHS headmistress Mrs Mercy Ocloo.
Ekumfi Ameyaw SHS Techiman Julian Okon and his Assistants Jacob Barzon.
George Frimpong Kwarteng Headmaster of Assiwa SHS Christian Attram
La Presbyterian SHS in the Greater Accra region Samuel Salamat who refused to attend GES investigations into the allegations.
Head of Aggrey Memorial in the Central region Rev. Franklin K. Boadu has also been invited to Accra to explain why he has underdeclared but accuse GES of placing more students than his school can accomodate.
The GES maintains the headmaster has “no basis for complaint” after 450 students were placed in his school. The Ghana Education Service found out from records that at least 955 students were placed at Aggrey memorial in 2016.
The GES said there are about 1,000 vacancies at the school and yet Rev. Franklin Boadu kicked against 450 students sent to the Cape Coast school.
The GES has also relieved two head teachers of their post and interdicted six others, pending investigations, for allegedly charging illegal fees under the free SHS policy.
“After our deliberations with them, we realized that they had infractions against the implementation guidelines [for the free SHS] that had been given to them,” the GES’ Director General, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa said at a press conference on Thursday.
The Free SHS policy which took off this month with only first year students is benefiting at least over 400,000.
As a result of the policy, the number of students entering has put pressure on facilities in most of the schools, with some having challenges in accommodating the huge numbers.
It appears this situation has forced some head teachers to improvise by seeking to charge some fees although everything is supposed to be free.
The policy is projected to cost the country $100 million, an equivalent of ¢400 million for the first term of the Academic year.
Source:EducationaGhana.net