Former Executive Secretary of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA ), has opposed government's decision not to allow Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), to contribute towards meeting basic logistics needs of senior high schools through payment of levies.

In Mr Charles Yao Aheto Tsegah’s view, PTAs have been instrumental in the development of schools over the years.
Therefore, asking them to withdraw their support is not in the right direction.

He made this comment against the backdrop that in 2019, the Ghana Education Service, suspended the payment of PTA levies under the Free SHS policy with the reason that it is a financial burden on parents. The ban has since been in
force.

"PTAs have been a central feature of the running of schools from day one. They don't solve the problems but they help with solutions the schools need to be able to function," he said.

Mr Aheto-Tsegah was contributing to discussions on the Super Morning Show, Tuesday June 8, following concerns raised by parents about challenges facing the country's second-cycle educational system.

Government rolled out the Free SHS policy in 2017 to increase enrollment by removing cost barriers through the absorption of fees. Government promised quality and accessible education for all students at the Senior High School level through this programme.

But four years on, there have been challenges bedeviling the programme, including infrastructure challenges, congestion as well as poor quality of food served.

School authorities have blamed the development on delay in release of funds to the schools to cater for administrative expenses.

Amid the growing concerns, there have been calls on the government to allow parents who wish to support the senior high schools their wards attend, financially or through payment of fees, to do so.

Mr Charles Aheto-Tsegah described the directive as unfair and advocated for the reinstatement of PTA levies. Nonetheless, he suggested that payment of the levies must be voluntary.  

"The school is not an island on its own. The school is a composition of stakeholders and all the stakeholders have respective responsibilities that they're supposed to carry out in ensuring that the school functions and produces the kind of results that we need and parents are very central in terms of the running of schools," he said.

“It's surprising that we're beginning to create a system that isolates parents and to make it feel like their contribution is cumbersome. But I agree with the point that, [PTA] is not compulsory so the decision to levy has to be
moderated," Mr Aheto-Tsegah added.