Ghana Education Service Calls Bluff of CHASS To Shutdown Schools

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has called off the bluff of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) to shutdown schools for the delay in paying subsidies.

Addressing a Press conference today (Thursday), the Director-General of GES, Mr. Jacob Kor said the authority to re-open and close down any public school is the prerogative of the Minister of Education; not CHASS.

He has however debunked allegations by CHASS that feeding grants and subsidies of the 2^nd term of the 2014/2015 and 3^rd term of 2015/2016 academic years are in arrears. According to Mr. Kor only the 3^rd term of the 2015/2016 is yet to be paid.

Mr. Kor explained that GH¢23.5 million has been disbursed for the first term of the 2015/16 academic year and as at the time CHASS organized its media briefing an amount of ¢23.4 million for subsidies was ready for disbursement, thus only the third term is outstanding.

The delay he partly attributed to the apathy of some heads of second cycle institutions to submit credible data for an onward disbursement of the subsidies and grants due them.

“The untimely release of subsidies and grants are partly due to the lackadaisical attitude of some heads in terms of data submission to headquarters. For instance, some heads of second cycle schools submitted their 2015/2016 first year’s admission figures and other data for funds to released just last week Thursday 14^th July, 2016 to the GES headquarters in mid-July 2016. Such heads will be given a queried.” Mr. Kor explained.

CHASS at a press conference yesterday says it is struggling to effectively manage the affairs of Senior High Schools across the country due to the delay in the payment of subsidies to schools.

According to the President of CHASS, Mrs. Cecilia Kwakye Coffie unpaid ‘absorbed fees’ and feeding grants, high utility bills and inadequate feeding fees of GH¢3.30 per student per day for 3 meals are having great toll in managing these schools. She also added students are fed on credit and heads of institutions are being harassed by their creditors on daily bases.

But the Director-General of GES has requested that all Heads of second cycle schools to exercise maximum restraint in resolving management issues of schools. He further indicated that his outfit has received the request for an increment in feeding fee thus an increase will be affected at the beginning of next academic year (2016/17).

Mr. Jacob Kor further cautioned all Heads of second cycle institutions to submit credible data to the GES on time to avert the delay in releasing the funds.

By: Emmanuel Dzivenu/ Radio Univers 105.7 MHz