The Africa Development Council (ADC) has called on the nation’s education authorities to put in place measures to curb deliberate acts aimed at extorting money from parents and guardians.
According to the nonprofit organisation, several appeals from parents across the country had highlighted unfair practices in the education system that placed unnecessary financial burdens on families.
The Council’s President, Dr Bright Sogbey, in an interview, outlined some of these concerns and urged immediate action to protect parents from undue exploitation.
Books
He said one of the major concerns was the practice where textbooks used by a pupil in a particular grade could not be passed down to another pupil entering the same grade in the following academic year.
“For example, a textbook used by Kofi in Primary One in 2024 cannot be used by Ama in Primary One in 2025.
This means parents are forced to buy entirely new sets of textbooks each year, even when the content remains largely unchanged,” he stated.
He further highlighted the issue of integrated textbooks and workbooks, which were designed in a way that prevented reuse, compelling parents to purchase new materials annually.
“The integration of workbooks into textbooks means that once a child completes the exercises, the book becomes unusable for another pupil,” he said, describing it as a deliberate move to ensure continuous spending by parents.
PTA
Additionally, Dr Sogbey expressed concerns about Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) activities that indirectly compel parents to pay fees beyond those approved by the Ghana Education Service (GES).
He emphasised that while PTAs played an important role in school development, they should not be used as a tool to impose extra financial burdens on parents.
Another worrying practice, according to the ADC, was the rise in fee-paying extra classes, which sometimes resulted in pupils being denied their right to be properly taught GES-approved subjects during regular school hours.
Motivation
Dr Sogbey called for better motivation and support for teachers to enhance student engagement and improve learning outcomes and urged education authorities to prioritise teacher welfare, as their dedication and performance significantly impact the quality of education.
“The ADC is calling on the Ministry of Education and the GES to take swift action in addressing these issues to ensure that Ghana’s education system remains accessible and fair to all parents and students,” he added.
