A Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meeting at the Bishop Bowers School held on September 7, 2020 ended in hot exchanges, DGN Online has gathered.
This was when management of the School led by the Headmistress, Matilda Quist, and the PTA Chairman, Mr Agyare brought the issue of continues payment of the monthly tuition fee of ?200 per head for e-learning lessons which were started in May this year.
Some parents had argued that apart from the fact that the ?200 fee per head for students in kindergarten to class three and ?250 from class four to junior high school the over 900 students was way too high, management should also consider the fact that they have not only assumed the role of teachers at home and its related inconvenience yet still paying fees but some of them have lost their jobs due to the effect of the Covid-19.
Not even the argument that the charge was high in view of the absence of students on campus hence a reduction in the use and expenditure on utilities (electricity and water) in this period of Covid-19 where students have been asked to stay home could suffice.
Instead, the Headmistress, her Assistant, a representative of the Diocesan Archbishop of the Catholic church and the PTA chairman insisted parents should continue paying the amount.
Their argument was that teachers needed to buy computers and internet data to be able to send lesson notes and assignments, an argument which provoked a heated debate and shutdown by angry parents, compelling the PTA Chairman who made the claim to apologise.
Apart from that, they also claimed a reduction would affect the running of the school and a continuation of the e-learning service because they were still paying teachers their full salaries as was during the normal times before the emergence of Covid-19.
They therefore insisted parents continue to pay the ?200 and on top of it made the e-learning mandatory for all students.
Aside that they also insisted that parents who do not pay the full amount of ?800 for lessons from May to August should not be given their wards report cards for the exams which was written about three weeks ago.
This is what provoked some parents who had sat in the meeting which lasted almost four hours to start walking out of the assembly Hall where the meeting was being held, with some swearing heaven and earth that they will not pay the fee.
Others stressed the need for the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education to step in to intervene since they said the school management was taking undue advantage of the Covid and e-learning to fleece parents.
Interestingly, it has turned out to be a lie since reliable sources and a number of teachers who spoke to Daily Guide said it was far from the truth.
It has emerged that in spite of the outrageous mandatory ?200 charge for all students from kindergarten to primary three, the school only pays teachers less than half of their basic salaries.