Authorities of second cycle institutions in the Upper East Region, are denying students who owe school fees access to classrooms and dining facilities.
Students who report to their various senior high schools without making full payment of school fees and other arrears, are made to forfeit their daily meals and in some cases lessons, until they make full payment.
Most of the affected students who are still at home, are appealing to government to release arrears owed the senior high schools, to enable them return to school and also dine with their colleagues while their parents make efforts to pay their outstanding fees.
The affected students of Senior High Schools in the region allege that, due to non-payment of feeding grants arrears by government to the various schools, students owing the schools must pay their school fees in full to be used for the purchase of foodstuff to feed the students.
“I school at Bolgatanga technical institute and the reason why am still at home is the school fees. The school authorities say if you don’t pay your school fees in full you wouldn’t be allowed to attend classes and eat from the dining hall”, Ayine Janet stated.
Another student from Zamse Senior Technical, Aduko Moses, said “Because I haven’t paid my school fees and if you don’t pay your school fees in full, you won’t enter dining hall, attend classes and even sleep in the dormitory. I plead that government pays the feeding grant arrears to the schools to enable us go back to school whilst our parents mobilize money to pay our fees in full.”
But the Upper East Regional Director of Education, Sabina Jane Obeng, said students must pay school fees for the running of the schools including feeding and purchasing of stationery.
“How should the headmasters run the schools, it is not only the feeding, they are talking of chalk, markers, stationery which teachers need to use for teaching the students. Let parents be responsible, the students were on holidays for six weeks; didn’t they know schools will resume so students must pay the fees in full.?”
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