Parents of first year students of some Senior High Schools (SHSs) have been asked to report any head of institution who extort monies from them.
Some parents have bemoaned what they say is the extortion by institution heads despite the coming into force of the promised free senior high school (SHS) education policy.
The parents who spoke to Joy News Tuesday said they are made to pay monies ranging from ¢10 to ¢30 or risk the registration of their wards.
The parent told the reporter aside the extortions by school heads, the items they are made to buy for their children cost more than what government has absorbed under the programme.
But reacting to the complaints by these parents, Minister of State, in charge of Tertiary Education, Professor Kwesi Yankah stated that school heads should not be allowed to take advantage of problems bedeviling the Computerized School Selection Placement System and make unjustified demands from parents.
“There is no guideline by the education ministry stating that school heads should extort monies from parents before accepting them. We keep hearing such reports and so I urge all parents to immediately report to any education directorate because we don’t condone such illegalities” he said on Accra based Neat fm.
According to Professor Kwesi Yankah when official complaint is filed at the District Education Directorate, heads of schools who are extorting monies from parents will be made to refund them or risk a hefty sanction.
Government, he noted is committed to ensure full implementation of the free SHS.
He said the doubting Thomases who trumpeted that the policy would never work will see that government under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would not disappoint Ghanaians.
Professor Yankah said mechanisms have been put in place by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to ensure that the education policy takes off smoothly.
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