GES orders SHS heads to stop unapproved charges and refund parents

Pinned summary · as of 04:54

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has told principals of public senior high and technical schools to stop charging families anything the service has not sanctioned, and to hand back money already taken. The service says such payments contradict the free SHS policy. MyJoyOnline and The Vaultz News reported that its Director-General, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, repeated the message at a press conference in Accra on 29 September.

What we know

• GES told the principals of SHS and SHTS to end the practice of billing families for admission fees, PTA dues and similar amounts the service has not approved. It said the charges run against the free SHS policy, and that nobody may make a student or parent pay them in order to gain admission or enrolment.
• Heads who have already taken such money must return it, GES said, and the service asked them to send proof of the refunds to its management.
• GES warned that anyone who ignores the order faces administrative sanctions, which it said could include removal from office.
• Parents and guardians who are asked for such payments were urged to report the demand to the service so it can be investigated.
• GES said the question of PTA dues is now before the courts, so discussion and collection of those dues and levies are on hold until a ruling.
• The GES statement carries the date 23 September 2026, and Opemsuo 104.7 and Kumasi Mail reported that it was signed by the service's head of public relations, Daniel Fenyi.
• On the EduPack school-delivery scheme run by Prospectus Ghana Limited, GES has said that buying the items is not compulsory and that payment for them must not be tied to school placement or admission.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  MyJoyOnline and The Vaultz News reported that Prof. Davis addressed the matter at a press conference in Accra on 29 September, warning heads and teachers against illegal fees and telling heads to refund them. Only one of the two is an independent report, so this account is not yet firmly established.
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  Kumasi Mail alone reported that the Good Governance Advocacy Group Ghana accused GES of helping to force parents to buy boarding items through its dealings with Prospectus Ghana Limited. Its executive director, Listowel Nana Kusi-Poku, also alleged that the Director-General pushed the directive through without proper approvals, and asked President John Dramani Mahama to dismiss him. GES rejected the claim that its agreement makes such purchases compulsory.
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  Complaints about EduPack come from two directions but are not established. Onua Online said some parents reported late deliveries and unanswered calls while others were satisfied, and Prospectus Ghana Limited rejected suggestions that the scheme is a scam, saying outstanding cases were being settled. Kumasi Mail quoted Mr Kusi-Poku as alleging that some families received nothing they had paid for.
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  Only Kumasi Mail reported that GES stated that the national PTA body (NCPTA) has no mandate to speak for the service, public schools or parents, or to sign commercial deals on their behalf.
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  Only Opemsuo 104.7 reported an earlier GES directive dated 18 September, signed by Prof. Smile Dzisi, that named trunks, chop boxes, uniforms and cutlasses as items some heads were compelling parents to buy from schools. No other report has carried it.
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  Only Opemsuo 104.7 reported that GES has released money for perishables covering 1 March to 4 September 2026 and part payment of first-semester recurring items for SHS 1 students, with heads told to send receipts to the Director-General through regional accountants.
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  Only MyJoyOnline reported that Prof. Davis said heads who let outsiders take such payments on school premises would be punished severely, and that families can take such demands to any tier of GES, from district offices up to headquarters.
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  The Vaultz News noted that, at the press conference, GES did not name the schools involved, say how much was collected or how many parents were affected, or give a timetable for refunds. No other report has addressed these gaps.

Why it matters for Ghana

Parents of new and continuing SHS students in Accra, Kumasi and elsewhere have been asked for money under a policy meant to make secondary schooling free. The order gives them grounds to refuse unapproved payments and to seek refunds, and it tells school heads they may face sanctions. Whether PTA dues can be collected at all depends on the court case, and the EduPack dispute leaves open what families must buy for boarding.