The Ghana Education Service (GES) has issued a stern warning to heads of Senior High Schools and Senior High Technical Schools (SHS/SHTS) following reports of alleged unauthorised money collection from final-year students for clearance purposes.
The GES Management declared such practices illegal and demanded an immediate cessation of such activities, along with a full refund to affected students.
According to the GES, any head of a school found to have collected unauthorised fees from final-year students before signing their clearance forms will face severe sanctions.
A statement released by the GES reads: “Management wishes to state that such acts are illegal and therefore cautions heads of schools to desist from it and refund any monies collected to the students with immediate effect.”
The GES emphasized that the existing procedures for surcharging students who have damaged, lost, or stolen school properties should be followed diligently by school authorities during the clearance process.
This measure is intended to ensure that the burden of covering the costs of damages or losses is placed on those responsible for them, rather than on the shoulders of all final-year students.
Regional Directors of Education have been tasked with communicating this directive to all Heads of SHS/SHTS, stressing the importance of strict compliance to maintain the smooth administration of schools across the country.