Don’t charge unapproved fees - Education Minister warns school heads
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has warned that heads of second cycle schools who deny admission to students duly placed in their schools or demand unapproved fees will face sanctions.
He expressed concern over reports received by the ministry that some heads of schools were frustrating the enrollment process for first-year students and extorting money from parents and guardians.
The minister issued the warning at the 32nd Annual Conference of Directors of Education held in Sunyani, in the Bono Region.
Unacceptable
Mr Iddrisu said such practices were unacceptable and undermined government’s commitment to equitable access to free and quality education for every Ghanaian child.
He emphasised that all students who had been officially placed in schools through the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) must be admitted without any form of discrimination or financial demand beyond the approved fees.
Discipline
The minister reaffirmed the ministry’s resolve to maintain discipline, transparency, and fairness within the educational sector, warning that any headteacher found culpable will be dealt with in accordance with established administrative and legal procedures.
He further urged Directors of Education to intensify monitoring and ensure compliance with the Ministry’s directives to guarantee a smooth enrollment process for all first-year students across the country.
First-year SHS students began reporting to school last weekend to commence the 2025-2026 academic year.
This follows their placement into the various SHSs and technical institutes under the Computerised School Selection and Placement System.
At the commencement of the exercise on September 17, 2025, 483,800 candidates were placed into SHSs and technical institutions.
By the end of September, up to 52,492 candidates had done self-placement into second cycle schools under the CSSPS, bringing the number of candidates placed in SHSs and counterpart institutions to 536,292.
About 590,309 qualified candidates out of the 603,328 students who sat the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) qualified for placement into second cycle institutions.
