The Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, Dr. Clement Apaak, has called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to immediately reverse its decision to transform Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) into Parent Associations (PA).
Dr. Apaak stressed the crucial role that PTAs have played in supporting the government’s efforts to achieve universal access to education over the years.
His remarks come in response to GES’ decision to reorganize PTAs into PAs, citing financial and operational challenges associated with providing educational access in schools.
In an interview with Citi News, Dr. Apaak criticized the move, describing the realignment of parent-teacher associations as “totally unnecessary.”
“…We have seen the negative consequences of that. The PTAs have and continue to play a very important role in assisting the government in delivering education. You go to many secondary schools across this country, you will see structures that were put up by PTAs,” Dr. Clement Apaak said.
The GES has introduced new guidelines for Parent Associations, formerly known as Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), in pre-tertiary schools.
These guidelines prohibit teachers from participating in the Association, impose restrictions on teachers collecting fees from students for exam purposes, and specify that parents whose children have completed school should no longer be part of the Association.
Gapson Kofi Raphael, the Secretary of the National Council of the Parents Teachers Association in Ghana, has also expressed dissatisfaction with the Ghana Education Service’s guidelines on PTAs, labeling them as unlawful and illegal.