Address Second Cycle Challenges, CHASS Urges Government

The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has called on education stakeholders to expedite action on stated concerns hampering the running of second cycle schools in the country.

It said the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service need to heed to their concerns to enhance the delivery of quality education in the country.

This was contained in press statement delivered by Madam Cecilia K. Coffie, President of the Conference, at a meeting held at the Teachers Hall at Accra.

She said similar concerns were raised some years ago at a similar press conference but little has been done to improve the situation.

We implement government polices and meet challenges during the implementation but when these challenges are made known to the management not much is done, Madam Coffie said.

‘We have now reached a breaking point and we want to once again draw their attention to the present challenges that confront us and this includes, unpaid absorbed fees and feeding grants, Ghana Government Scholarships to beneficiary students, Progressively Free Scholarship for 2nd and 3rd terms of 2015/2016 academics years, inadequate feeding fees of GHC 3.30 per student per day for three meals”.

Madam Coffie said the utility fees being paid cannot meet the huge electricity and water costs, adding that the conference wants the electricity fee to be separated from the water fee and both should be appreciably increased to meet the bills from the utility companies.

She said feeding grants for Northern, Northern Volta and Northern Brong Ahafo Regions Schools are also in arrears for 2nd and 3rd terms of 2015/2016, and this has created more challenges for the schools.

Madam Coffie said if urgent action is not taken to address the existing challenges, education in the second cycle schools will suffer greatly adding that the refusal to heed their concerns would make it quite difficult to reopen schools for the 2016/2017 academic year, she said.

Source: GNA