Raise Fees | CHASS

The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has appealed to the government to consider reviewing upwards, feeding fees and subsidies in second cycle schools for the 2010/2011 academic year, which begins today. “The decision to request for an upward adjustment in fees payable, is informed by the prevailing market prices of major food items and services that the schools depend on to feed the students,” the national secretary, Felix Essah Hienno, told the Times yesterday op phone. He said CHASS had already submitted proposals to the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to review all fees, such as feeding and clothing, because the present fee level was woefully inadequate for the schools to operate with.Mr. Essah-Hienno, who is the headmaster of Okuapeman Senior High School, said the current feeding fee of GH¢1.20 per student per term, was woefully inadequate and “CHASS has proposed fee levels between GH¢1.50 and GH¢2”. He said the feeding fee catered for food items, fuel (firewood and liquefied petroleum gas), cooking utensils and haulage charges. “We are also asking for an upward adjustment in total fee payable on admission, from GH¢114.80gp to GH¢140 per student in respect of school uniforms, house dresses, P.E. kits, internal examination, library, SRC, entertainment, bed user and science resource centre, because the existing fees are not realistic,” he added. He said students at present paid GH¢18 for two sets of school uniforms; GH¢13 for two sets of house dresses; GH¢7 for P.E. Kits, GH¢2 for infernal examination; library get 50p; SRC 10p; entertainment 30p; science resource centre 40p and bed user fee 50p. CHASS, he said, had proposed GH¢28 for uniforms; GH¢20 for house dress; PE kits GH¢10; examination GH¢5; library GH¢1.50p; SRC 50p; entertainment 50p; science resource GH¢1 and bed user GH¢1. Mr. Essah-Hienno said the association had also proposed GH¢27.70 as government’s subsidy, instead of the existing subsidy of GH¢17.95 per term equipment, first aid, building maintenance, sports and culture. Others are sanitation, postage, practical examination fee, furniture maintenance and utilities. Meanwhile Kwadwo B. Donkor reports from Kumasi that as part of measures to cease the accommodation problems facing most secondary schools in admitting new students, CHASS has proposed that the President Direct district Assemblies to provide pavilions for the schools within the next four weeks. It said the district assemblies should ensure that all public schools lacking classrooms to admit new students were provided with temporary structures such as the pavilions in the shortest possible time. In a five-point communiqué issued at its end of the week long 48th Annual National Meeting, CHASS also called for “a state policy on education which can stand the test of time than what we have been experiencing.” The conference also asked the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, as a matter of urgency, to announce and appropriate and realistic opening date for first year students. The new date, according to CHASS, which should be between October 30 and November 1, would enable the government to address the furniture and boarding problems facing most secondary schools. “Almost all the 495 public senior high schools face serious and precarious classroom and dormitory accommodation problems to house the first year students whose placement have been released,” it said.