The Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) has threatened to boycott the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) should the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) increase registration fees without engaging them.

According to the Association, students from private schools currently pay GH¢465 and GH¢214 for WASSCE and BECE respectively.

They are, therefore, asking the government to recognise low fee-paying private schools as social interventions aimed at educating children in deprived communities and support them as such.

The group made the call at the launch of a Pre-Tertiary Private Schools Manifesto, to highlight key challenges they would want the next government to fix in Ghana’s private school education.

Addressing the media, the National President of GNAPS, Professor Damasus Tuurosong called for an extension of the Free Senior High School policy to the private schools.

He appealed to the government to "scrap the 30% priority placement system. Just as it does for the public school candidates, the government must absorb the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) registration fees paid by private school candidates."

"Extend the Free SHS programme to private school students. Review the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 (Act 1023) to do away with exorbitant regulatory charges by the National Schools Inspectorate Authority, National Teaching Council and National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.

"Abolish nuisance taxes that are affecting businesses and review property rates and business operations permit charged by the assemblies and above all fix the country's economy to create a conducive business environment for the operation of private schools," he added.

GNAPS also threatened to take action if their concerns are ignored.

“We entreat WAEC to always negotiate with GNAPS prior to any fee increase. Let me serve notice that GNAPS will lead all pre-tertiary private schools to boycott next year’s BECE should WAEC arbitrarily increase the fees.

“This year we got the notice late, it could have happened. But we are serving the notice early that from next year if there is no negotiation, private schools will not be part of next year’s BECE, and this is not a mere threat. We are lacing our boots towards that,” he stated.