The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah, says the service is ready for dialogue with parent-teacher associations (PTAs) on how to modify the decision of the GES on mainstreaming PTA levies into school accounts. He also assured PTAs that the decision taken by the service was not to take over the running of the associations. Rather, he said, the move was to ensure greater transparency in the operations of the associations in their scheme of things. "We don't intend taking over PTAs. We only want to ensure transparency," he stated in an interview with the Daily Graphic. According to him, the GES did not have any hidden agenda, adding that there was nothing for the PTAs to fear, since nothing would be hidden from them. "There is no cause for alarm," Mr Bannerman-Mensah assured the PTAs. He said the GES was ready for dialogue with the PTAs and that if any of them had a good suggestion on how they could modify the GES decision, the service was ready for that. "If they have a problem, they can come for us to talk. Our decision is about transparency," he emphasised, adding, "We don't mean any harm." Mr Bannerman-Mensah, acknowledged the contributions of PTAs, and said they had over the years contributed greatly to the development of schools. Asked why the PTAs were not consulted before the directive was taken, he said, "It is not every decision that you take that you have to consult." On whether the GES directive would not lead to the breaching of the constitutions of PTAs, since the signatories to the accounts had been so mandated, he said the PTAs would have to amend their constitutions. "If the constitution is not serving the purpose, what do you do?" He asked. A letter signed by Mr Bannerman-Mensah had said, "All PTA levies and related expenditure should be captured in the financial statements of the institutions, even though separate cash books could be kept for easy tracking of data." It said since the PTA levy was being treated as a public fund, it should be operated in line with all existing financial regulations, such as passing of supplies through the stores. "The head of the institution, with the support of his accountant, will provide the PTA with a situational report at its meetings. The signatories to the bank account for operating levies shall be the headmaster, the accountant and the PTA chairman as automatic member," it stated. Source: Daily Graphic