CHASS tells Education Minister to release funds for carting of food items

The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has written to the Minister of Education Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum to release funds owed to schools in respect of recurrent fees and carting of food items and all arrears for Day schools for the second semester of the 2023/2024 academic year.

National Secretary Baro Primus referred to a letter dated 20th September 2024 reminding the Minister to kindly release outstanding payments for recurrent fees owed to schools since the 2021 academic year, as well as refund of monies meant for carting food items from Regional zonal food centres among others.

 He said it was worth mentioning that while some issues in that letter were responded to, some of them remained unattended.

The National Executives of CHASS had since engaged the GES Management and the Hon Minister for Education severally on these matters, but with no solution on sight.

CHASS would want to once more kindly inform your good office that, schools have now reached their wit ends and it has become extremely difficult to manage the system effectively. Debt owed because of the non-payment of the recurrent fees (except exam fees) has put a lot of school Heads in very uncomfortable situations and in some cases, some school creditors are threatening legal actions against the schools. This situation is compounded by the current need to purchase stationery for the ongoing admissions.

Additionally, aside the lack of money, some key food items have not been supplied to schools since the inception of the 2024/2025 academic year. This has made the feeding of students very difficult for School Managements and is now even creating some disciplinary problems and uneasy calm on school campuses. This is a source of great worry to school authorities as our school environments are gradually becoming unsafe to stay and work in.

“In the light of the foregoing, CHASS wants to; kindly request the release of funds owed to schools in respect of recurrent fees and carting of food items and all arrears for Day schools for the second semester of the 2023/2024 academic year.

“It is worth mentioning at this juncture that, those schools operating with commercial banks didn’t receive perishables fee for the period, 17th to 31st August 2024 and those schools operating with BOG didn’t also receive same money for the period, 17th to 31st July 20224.

“On recurrent fees, no school received it for 2021 till date, except some payments that were made in that respect for the first semester of 2023/2024 academic year in April 2024. Also,no school has so far received perishable fee for the period October 2024 till date,” he said.