According to the NCPTAs, nothing is currently working in the schools after they reopened on Friday, January 3, 2025.

“Nothing is working in the schools. All the assurances from (the previous) government that they would support feeding, provide funds for feeding, and address other issues are not being met,” said Raphael Kofi Gapson, General Secretary of the NCPTAs, in an interview with the Daily Graphic on Thursday, January 10.

Mr. Gapson stated that the association had always believed that schools were not fully prepared to reopen on January 3, 2025, due to constraints with food, funding, and other logistics.

He pointed out that schools lacked food for boarders and did not have the necessary funding to support full operations.

He criticized the previous government for only offering lip service to the free SHS policy, as the challenges continued to escalate and appeared to be getting out of hand.

“You cannot say you are providing feeding or funding support to the schools and then, if they are entitled to 100 grams of food a day to run the school, you send them only 20 or 30 grams a day, and expect the schools to operate perfectly,” Mr. Gapson said.

He further questioned, “How do they run the schools with 30 grams a day when their budget for that day is 100 grams?”

The associations, he said, were ready to support the running of the SHSs and emphasized that in some schools, they were paying additional cooks not employed by the government to cater to the large number of students.

Additionally, he mentioned that they were also paying for security personnel in schools that lacked adequate security. He stated that once the government identified areas where the NCPTAs could support, they would readily offer that assistance.

“We are currently using our PTA funds, which have become the proverbial Akobalm, as a special-purpose vehicle for providing feeding support, extra classes, security and safety in schools, recruitment of kitchen staff, utilities, sports, culture, quizzes, debates, examinations, and various infrastructure projects and logistics,” he explained.

As the January 3, 2025, reopening date for SHSs approached, the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) urged the Ghana Education Service to postpone the reopening until the government settled the outstanding debt for food and operations.

In a statement issued on December 31, 2024, the school heads noted that the government had failed to respond to three appeals since August 2024, regarding payment of arrears for perishables, recurrent fees, and food transportation costs.

The National Secretary of CHASS, Baro Primus, therefore, instructed all regional branches to notify parents of the potential delay through parent associations.

The school heads warned that members who defied the directive would face sanctions for betraying their collective stance.

Mr. Gapson explained that the NCPTAs and other education stakeholders had tried to support schools in various ways.

He stated that when the association raised issues, CHASS had often become a political tool for the government to suppress information.

He alleged that CHASS had stood by the government even when it was clear that things were not being handled properly.

“Finally, CHASS came out with the right verdict by saying that, over two and a half years, it had issues with the government’s lackadaisical attitude toward addressing feeding and funding challenges at the secondary level,” Mr. Gapson said.

He added that these issues had been swept under the carpet, and now heads of schools were calling on the new government to address them.

“We should have closed down the schools and told the students to go back home so that we could take our time, fix the mess, and ensure that the children return to school in a more conducive and serene atmosphere for effective and smooth teaching and learning.”

“The schools are public schools, and they should operate in an open school climate, not a closed one,” he emphasized, noting that, according to his information, nothing was working in the schools.

“We prefer our students to be home and in our custody, so they can be well-fed and safe,” the General Secretary of the NCPTAs added.

He stressed the need for key stakeholders to meet and find solutions to address the crisis.

Even at the basic school level, he mentioned, the capitation grant had been in arrears for over two and a half years.

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The 2024 MTN Y’ello Care initiative, which was started in 2007, aims to bridge the digital gap and enhance educational outcomes.

The students will receive training in artificial intelligence, robotics, digital tools and access to the Ghana Knowledge and Skills Cloud-Based Platform (GKSB), a repository of educational resources and past examination questions.

Among the benefiting schools are Aburi Presbyterian Secondary Technical School in the Eastern Region, Church of Christ SHS in the Ashanti Region, and Sunyani SHS in the Bono Region.

The program’s reach extends to schools across multiple regions, including Ahafo, Bono East, Northern, Western, Western North, and Central.

The Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer at MTN Ghana, Adwoa Wiafe, emphasized the importance of the initiative, stating, “Through these initiatives, we are supporting efforts to make educational materials more accessible to students. Our objective is to bridge the digital gap and help improve educational outcomes by leveraging technology for teaching and learning.”

This year’s Y’ello Care theme is “Education for Rural and Remote Communities – Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow”.

The program, which typically runs for 21 days in June, has been extended to 30 days this year to celebrate MTN’s 30th anniversary.

The technology programs are being handled in collaboration with Coral Reef Innovation Hub, Npontuo, Duapa Workspace, Eastern Hub, and Nude 8.

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This action comes in response to recent power disconnections across institutions including Accra Academy due to a GH¢400,000 debt.

The disconnection affected students resulting in the use of torchlights to study.

However, the Free SHS Secretariat has intervened and authorized the payment of the overdue arrears.

Meanwhile, the ECG’s External Communications Manager emphasized that the school will not be reconnected until it meets certain basic requirements in line with the company’s revenue mobilization drive.

Speaking on Joy FM, Laila Abubakari explained that one of these requirements is for the school authorities to settle at least 50% of the outstanding bills.

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First year students reported to school today December 4, 2023 as announced.

This decision sparked controversy, with teacher unions opposing it, and Parliament urging the Minister to reconsider the decision.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Education Minister pointed to the early release of the harmonized prospectus and the desire to realign the academic calendar as reasons for the decision and why they were unwilling to reverse it.

“Given that over 81% of students were automatically placed based on their choices, it cannot be said that a lot of placements are yet to be remedied because some candidates have been placed under the region they reside.

“In addition, for the first time the Ministry of Education with its relevant agencies and stakeholders, developed a National Harmonized Prospectus for all SHS and TVET students. This was to give parents ample time to buy the prospectus items and get their wards ready for school on December 4, 2023”.

Dr. Adutwum also denied assertions that teaching and non-teaching staff have not had ample time to rest ahead of the reopening of schools.

“Since the introduction of the double track calendar in 2017, more of teaching and non- teaching staff have been employed to schools as a matter of fact, majority of teachers are only at post when a particular track is in session. So it cannot be true that all teachers have never had any rest since the double track was introduced” he added.

However, the Minority in Parliament was not convinced after the Minister’s response.

Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee on Education, Dr. Clement Abass Apaak, stated that the Minister cannot be accurate in his claims of consultation because the same groups he claims to have consulted are the very ones expressing dissatisfaction.

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