The National President of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), Alexander Danso has expressed worry over the way and manner in which some private school owners are forcing parents to pay arrears of their school fees in the Covid19 period.
According to him, in as much as he recognises that private schools are business enterprises that thrive on income from school fees; he believes the scar of the pandemic on the finances of most parents has made it impossible for them to make good, their financial commitment.
“It is not the will of the parents not to pay the fees but rather it is the adverse effect of the Covid19 pandemic which has resulted in some payment defaults” he indicated.
He has therefore appealed to private school owners to consider parents in this period of crisis and not take any drastic measures which may affect their businesses in the long run.
read this: We’ll meet with GES over suspension of PTA dues – National council of PTA
“If care is not taken, parents may change schools for their wards after the pandemic which will rather affect most private schools drastically”, he concluded.
However, an executive member of the national association of private schools, Rev William Baarko believes otherwise. According to him, since the pandemic broke out, government has neglected all private schools with no support and believes that the only way for them to survive is for government to open up schools for operation.
“Government has not dealt fairly with private schools in this period and as a result teachers are suffering and so we want the government to open up schools for operation”, he said.
But Mr. Alexander Danso describes the call for schools to open as misplaced at this crucial time where cases of the COVID 19 are on the increase. According to him, “With such demands, it appears Ghanaians do not recognize the adversity of the Covid19 which is rather unfortunate”.
Mr. Danso finally made a call on parents to consider the lives of their children more important than they being in school in this period because unlike human life, “education has no end”.
A member of the Ghana Association of Private Schools had earlier called on government for an intervention as the current closure of schools is causing proprietors financial distress.
Kwaku Duah, Proprietor of the Golden City Academy, called for the re-introduction of the shift system to enable schools open for operation. The return of the shift system, he said, would ensure conformity to the social distancing protocol while employers make money to financially support their staff. Currently, some private schools have furloughed their staff due to unavailability of funds to pay them.
SOURCE: KOJO DEI/ATL FM NEWS
