Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister of Education has announced that school authorities should seek written approval from the Ghana Education Service (GES) before they charge any fees. “It should be noted that some schools have taken the advantage to charge arbitrarily, which is denying many brilliant but needy pupils access to secondary education.” Mr Tettey-Enyo, who made the announcement at the 71st anniversary speech and prize-giving day of the Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School (PRESEC) on Saturday, said efforts should be made by Boards of Governors to control and regulate the fees charged by schools in the name of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs). He said for example, on most students’ bills it could be found fees such as PTA dues, PTA levies, extra classes’ allowances, cost of text books, novels and others, adding that; “We all have a role to play in making secondary education more affordable.” Mr Tettey-Enyo, who is also a Member of Parliament for Ada said it would be a good idea for school authorities to provide and maintain good libraries and encourage students to patronize them instead of compelling all students to purchase certain types of books at high costs. “We look forward to school authorities identifying other avenues to encourage those who have to contribute to support students’ learning instead of making it compulsory for all students to procure the same items even if parents cannot afford.” He said PTA executives as well as school authorities should be mindful of the decisions made in respect of levies. “Much as we approve of the support systems that are provided to complement the efforts of government, the basic principle of affordability and approval by the specified authorities should not be sacrificed.” The anniversary has the theme; “Building Quality Human Resource for National Development – The Role of the State”. Mr Tettey-Enyo said government has identified its objectives on the need to ensure that the youth were provided with the educational opportunities and experiences that would produce the expertise required for the development of the nation. The Minister noted that government recognized that the provision of equitable quality education holds the key to national development and would continue to fulfill the constitutional mandate at all levels in the education delivery system. “Government by constitutional mandate remains the major provider in all spheres of education and this has brought an enormous responsibility in terms of costs in the provision of quality education.” He said government would however, remain committed to providing the needed facility and equipment for all levels of education taking cognizance of the level of depravity with the intent of providing equity in education. Mr Tettey-Enyo said support would continuously be given to all the agencies in education to enhance service delivery for the achievement of quality education. He said building of quality human resource for national development over the years had not been the responsibility of government alone and therefore commended stakeholders who in diverse ways contributed to the development of education in the country. “It is worth noting however that, community participation and collaboration of all stakeholders in this respect would be needed to complement the efforts of government as we strive for quality education.” Mr Tettey-Enyo noted that disciplinary issues were gradually becoming a canker in the fabric of school life and therefore it required the collaborative efforts of the home, school, church and the community to address them. The Minister said there were acts which do not only expose students to harm but also deny the schools funds which are supposed to be used to provide other services. There are also other practices such as petty thefts, extortion of money from juniors, occult practices, cutting classes, truancy, smoking, alcoholism, destructions and in very recent times computer fraud. He said to eliminate these practices it demanded the collective efforts of all stakeholders, school authorities, teachers, parents, and the community to monitor the behaviour of students at all times. “Education will not be whole and the quality factor inherent in it would be debased if the individual, having acquired the requisite experiences in education has no morals.” Mr Tettey-Enyo said though PRESEC has made an envious impression in education delivery, particularly in the sciences, more efforts were needed to maintain the standards that have been set, adding that, the school should not be seen to be leaning on its old glories but continue to strive for excellence both morally and academically. Source: GNA