Cecelia Pogrebah
THE HEADMISTRESS of Odumaseman Senior High School (SHS) at Odumase in the Sunyani West District of the Brong-Ahafo Region, Cecelia Pogrebah, has been forced to withdraw unapproved fees the school is charging all students, including the first year free SHS students.
The school authorities, according to information gathered by this paper, had asked all students to pay GH¢40 each as library fee to help construct and furnish the school library; but the fee, went viral on social media, making parents and guardians whose children got placements to the school, to complain and the headmistress was forced to withdraw the fee and payments for other items.
Ms Cecelia Pogrebah confirmed this to DAILY GUIDE in an interview on the school’s campus on Thursday.
She said the library fee was Parent/Teacher Association’s (PTA’s) approved fee, adding that it was not her personal decision to charge the fee, and that it was not compulsory.
She said per directives from heads of government Assisted Secondary Schools and the Ghana Education Service, schools are not to make PTA levies compulsory and so could not sack students for non-payment of PTA dues.
Madam Pogrebah said that other items on the list for students to purchase from the school’s store like white dress, GH¢30; track suit, GH¢70; tie, GH¢15; vest GH¢45 (for girls only), Social Studies GH¢30; Integrated Science GH¢25; Pass Your English, GH¢30; Pass Your English (grammar), GH¢15; Math Workbook, GH¢35, Core Math, GH¢35; Literature in English, GH¢32; Graph book, GH¢6 and Order Form, GH¢6 – all totaling GH¢329 – are not compulsory.
The Sunyani West District Director of Education, Veronica Adu-Saforo, told DAILY GUIDE that she had asked the headmistress to withdraw the levy and she had complied.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Odumanse
danielyaodayee@yahoo.com