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Apaak: CHASS’ Letter Exposes Challenges in Free SHS, Mahama Has a Plan

A recent letter from the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) to the government has sparked renewed debate on education reform in Ghana. Apexnewsgh reports The letter, dated November 13, 2024, highlights critical concerns over the implementation of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy, citing severe shortages of essential resources that have left schools struggling to function effectively. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has seized upon this letter as validation of former President John Dramani Mahama’s proposed educational reforms. Mahama’s plan aims to address the “debilitating implementation challenges” faced by the FSHS initiative. According to Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, NDC’s spokesperson on education, the issues raised by CHASS echo long-standing criticisms of the Akufo-Addo administration’s management of FSHS. Dr. Apaak emphasized that parents, guardians, and education sector stakeholders should be “gravely concerned” about the deteriorating situation. He criticized the NPP government and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for appearing indifferent to the plight of students and educators across the country. Mahama’s vision also includes technological advancements, such as introducing artificial intelligence labs in select schools, enhancing digital literacy, and providing laptops and tablets for students. Additionally, he pledges to restore the role of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and foster partnerships with religious institutions in school management. Mahama also plans to address corruption in the school placement system by making the Computerized School Selection & Placement System (CSSPS) merit-based and transparent. Dr. Apaak emphasized that Mahama’s track record in education reform demonstrates his capability to effectively address Ghana’s educational challenges. According to Dr. Apaak, Mahama “will not inflate enrollment figures” or “compromise on quality,” as has been alleged against the current administration. Source: Apexnewsgh.com

Opinion

Corruption, fraud allegations hit buffer stock managers

The Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, has said that challenges with food supplies to Senior High Schools, are a result of corruption and fraud that have plagued the National Buffer Food Stock Company. According to Dr Clement Apaak, the running of the National Buffer Food Stock Company led by Hanan Abdul-Wahab, has become inefficient, thereby questioning its usefulness. Speaking at a press conference, Dr Clement Apaak, cited instances of under-invoicing, the distribution of expired and non-certified food items, as some of the fraudulent activities being carried out by the Company. “Some of the Buffer Food suppliers are simply corrupt and fraudulent. There are in-stances of under-invoicing; where quantities of supplies to the schools are drasti-cally reduced. Expired food items are supplied to schools.” “Sometimes, heads are compelled by orders from above to sign for quantities of foods they have not received. We sometimes have suppliers dumping items in ex-cess capacity to schools. There were even instances where schools were supplied with products that had not been certified by the Food and Drugs Authority”. Dr Apaak was worried that these acts are compounding the problems of the Free SHS Programme. “All of these things are captured in the Auditor General’s report, so clearly the Buffer Food Stock Company and the role it is playing is contributing to the challenges of the Free SHS policy.” —TheHerald—

Education

CHASS threaten to close down SHSs over unpaid arrears

The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Northern Region branch has threatened to shut down Senior High Schools (SHSs) for non-payment of arrears. According to a statement after an emergency meeting in the Northern region on August 15, 2022, the Council categorized some reasons that will activate their action. “Apart from arrears owed us in respect of perishable for the first semester of 2021/2022 academic year, no money has been paid for the eleven weeks of the second semester we have done so far, this makes going to the market very difficult.” “Suppliers who give us credit for perishable items like eggs and meat are not ready to continue with the supply owing to the amounts of indebtedness,” the statement indicated. For them, Heads of Schools in the Region would be compelled to send the SHS 2 students who are in their second semester home. “On the foregoing, we wish to state that if we do not get immediate releases the SHS 1 students of the single truck schools who would be due to return to school tomorrow Tuesday, August 16, 2022, would not report until we get money. This also includes those in transitional schools who are also billed to report on September 4, 2022. “Lastly, Management is also entreated to pay the recurrent expenditure of the schools, which has been in arreaars since last year. The non-payment of this component of our money is affecting the smooth running of our schools in issues such as maintenance and repairs, field trips, practical lessons in our laboratories, etc.” Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana

Education, Politics

All parents should feed their wards in school and at home–CHASS

Information flying across indicates that the Upper West Conference of Heads of Assisted Schools (CHASS) has resorted to some interesting conditions for the schools. According to the directives from schools contained in the CHASS letter, parents of all candidates writing final exams are to feed their wards in schools or feed them at home and let them come to school to write their final exams as a result of non-avaliablity of feeding grants or foods at the schools. Boarding students are to bring sugar and other eatables to dining, the schools have directed, with warnings that the best they can do to sustain academic activities at the most is to feed the students minimally for a week at most.Even the minimal feeding can only be sustained up to next week Friday, 15th July, 2022. After that, the schools have reiterated that either parents feed, pay for feeding of their wards or come for the wards from the schools “since it will be impossible to continue to feed them with nothing”. Again, all sporting, cultural, workshops and other activities involving students and staff have been cancelled as a result of lack of funds and the unreasonableness of students engaging in sporting and cultural activities on empty stomachs, the school stressed. Source: Apexnewsgh.com

Education

Heads of five Senior High Schools to face prosecution

Some heads of five Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Western Region have been referred to the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) for prosecution. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), referred the heads of these schools to EOCO for procurement breaches. The schools include Adiembra SHS, Tarkwa SHS, Bozo Kaku, Methodist SHS and St. Augustine’s SHS, Bogoso. Also, a tutor at the Archbishop Porter Girls SHS has been referred to EOCO for the alleged unlawful taking of salaries. Speaking at its sitting on the Auditor General’s 2018 Report in Takoradi, Chairman of the PAC, James Klutse Averdzi noted that the prosecution of the heads of the five schools will serve as a deterrent to others. Mr. Averdzi said: “In the past, we have never referred officials or the individuals for prosecution so it looks like they are taking advantage of that, that it has become an annual ritual, we will only come, the chairman will caution and that will be the end. “So we decided that now if you go against the law we will recommend you for prosecution. So you go to court and defend yourself. If the court thinks that your defense is sufficient or strong enough they will set you free but if your defense is weak then the court will apply the law to ensure that you face the punishment.” Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your adverts and credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Education

Gov’t Rejects CHASS Call To Review Free SHS And Levy Parents

A petitioned by the Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS) for the Akufo-Addo administration to review Free SHS policy and allow parents to support the programme financially has been rejected. The President of the CHASS, Alhaji Yakub Abubakar earlier at the 58th annual Conference of CHASS in Cape Coast made a call for the Government of Ghana to consider reviewing the policy after 3 years of implementation Alhaji Yakub Abubakar following suggestions and negative comments about the policy noted the programme needs to be reviewed to address challenges confronting the Free SHS in other for it to produce a fruitful outcome. The Executive Director of the Africa Education Watch, Mr. Kofi Asare in line with the CHASS President on social media made a similar request for the PTA’s to support programme and free some resources to the basic level. “One cannot ‘fully’ finance secondary without under-financing basic, as the case is in Ghana today. So please, GoG, allow PTAs to support, so you can free some resources to basic”, he said in a social media post. According to him, education is not only a collective responsibility involving parents, communities, teachers and government but also one that is economic in principle, hence the need for a review of the Free SHS policy. However, the Deputy Education Minister in an interview with the Daily graphic newspaper said such a review of the policy will negatively influence the purpose of the implementation of the Free SHS programme. “To say that the government should somehow allow you [CHASS] to levy your own fees against parents in an era of free senior high school is what I don’t understand. I really don’t understand the point in saying that senior high school is free, the government has absorbed fees” “The government is even paying development levies, which is even supposed to be used for school construction and other infrastructure development that the school wants to undertake and yet we are still asking the government to allow us to levy the students, no!”, he told the newspaper Dr. Yaw Adutwum responding to CHASS call said “if you have a group of parents, or parents of any school, who are saying that, can we support our school, yes, of course, they can support their school, they can voluntarily donate to support their school in the same way that old students do” The Bosometwe Member of Parliament furthered “that will defeat the purpose of free senior high school, which has lessened the burden of parents, adding that is not the plan Nana Akufo-Addo government” Georgeweb Please kindly contact apexnewsgh.com on apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications

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Apaak: CHASS’ Letter Exposes Challenges in Free SHS, Mahama Has a Plan

Corruption, fraud allegations hit buffer stock managers

CHASS threaten to close down SHSs over unpaid arrears

All parents should feed their wards in school and at home–CHASS

Heads of five Senior High Schools to face prosecution

Gov’t Rejects CHASS Call To Review Free SHS And Levy Parents

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