South Tongu GES falls on capitation grant to pay utility bills

Heads of some public basic schools in the South Tongu district of the Volta region are up in arms against the district education directorate for cutting down on their allocation of the capitation grant, being disbursed for running of the schools.

Information gathered by Voltaonline, revealed that, the education office levied each basic school pupil, 50pesewas and subsequently deducted it from their share of the capitation grant of GHc4.50 per child.

The amount which is lodged in a special account known as ‘District Support Levy’ is meant to help the office defray its debts to utility providers including the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

But some of the head teachers who are unhappy about the deduction noted that, it will adversely affect the smooth running of the schools, as they depend on the grant to supply teaching aids and other items needed to teach the pupils effectively.

New school block for Tanyigbe-Anyigbe

A 3-unit classroom block with office and store has been commissioned at the Tanyigbe-Anyigbe M.A Basic School in the Ho Municipality.

The school block which was constructed by the Council of Ewe Association of North America (CEANA) at the cost GH¢ 100,000 replace a fifty year old dilapidated structure which had become a death trap.

Mrs. Rose Quarshie, former Executive Director of CEANA, said the project is part of group’s contribution towards quality education delivery in the community and urged the parents invest in the education of their wards.

She said the group, which is made up of Ewes from Benin, Togo and Ghana, based in United State and Canada  has the objective of providing social intervention projects in health, education, water and sanitation across communities in all three countries.

Mr Francis Ganyaglo Deputy Volta Regional Minister commended CEANA for complementing government’s efforts in ensuring the delivery of accessible quality education.

Education Ministry to Publish approved fees for new Academic Year

Alex Kyeremeh

The Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Pre-Tertiary Education, Alex Kyeremeh, has announced that, the ministry will soon publish the approved fees for all Public second cycle schools for the 2014/2015 academic year.

The publication which will be carried on all major media platforms, according to the deputy minister is to safeguard parents and guardians from paying unapproved fees, which some school Heads in the country have been charging first year students.  

‘We will be tough on school heads who charge unapproved fees… Education should not be the preserve of a privileged few but affordable to all’ he stated and appealed to all stakeholders including chiefs report any recalcitrant school head for the necessary sanction to be applied. 

Mr. Kyeremeh who is also the MP for Techiman North was speaking at Kpeve in the Volta region, during the commissioning of an ultra-modern office complex for the South Dayi District Education Directorate, constructed at the cost of 800 thousand Ghana cedis with funding from Department for International Development (DFID).

He also noted that, measures are in place to ensure prudent utilization of the recent 156 million dollars World Bank loan facility acquired to build 23 new Senior High Schools, upgrade 125 existing schools and provide scholarship to over 10-thousand poor students from deprived communities in the country.

As parts of the measures, he said an independent fund administrator will be appointed to liaise with communities in selecting eligible beneficiaries.

On the issue of using part of the money to supply sanitary pads for female students, the Deputy Minister explained that government will not buy the pads and distribute, but instead the money will be given to such students to buy what will keep them in school and their eligibility for the next trench will be based on a proof of purchase.