Parents outraged over short school vacation and fee payment – Skyy Power FM

Parents are complaining about the payment of fees for their children in private schools. This is a result of the recent change in the academic calendar. This change according to the government is to help return to the old academic calendar in which the first term begins in September.

In an interview with Mr Charles Mintaba, the Zonal Chairman of the National Association of Private Schools in Takoradi, he explained the need for opting to return to the old academic way.

He noted that, as a result of Covid-19, the academic calendar had to change.

He further encouraged parents to bear with the situation and consider the quality education private schools provide to their wards and accept the situation.

Mr Charles Mintaba also noted that the sudden change has affected them in the sense that, some parents intend to take their wards to public schools. Some who also cope with the situation delay in paying fees which is affecting the financial state of the private schools.

“It has affected the operation of our schools. Some parents because of the fees they’re paying, intend to have “shortcuts”, I mean a parent thinks his child is brilliant so he takes his child to a public school and registers him/her in JHS 2 just to skip one academic year school fees. That’s the challenge we face. It affects our finances because whether you hire a teacher for a month or two, you ought to pay social security on the teacher and if the fees are not coming sometimes meeting the deadline of our social security operators becomes a challenge”.

He further appealed to the government to treat all teachers whether in private or public schools equally because they pay the same taxes.

“Public schools alone cannot build schools for the people who want to go to school. Per our Education Act, it is a must for you to enrol your child in school. Public schools alone cannot employ teachers and pay them. Once we are complementing the role of government in terms of employment and the fact that we pay taxes to the district assembly, they should be treated equally”.