CHASS demands postpaid meters in SHSs to avoid disruptions
The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has called for the replacement of prepaid meters with postpaid meters in all senior high schools (SHSs) in the country to avoid disruptions.
It said the continued use of prepaid electricity meters in the schools caused unnecessary operational disruptions, affecting academic work and campus security.
“It is unfair to require Heads of Schools to pre-finance electricity consumption for academic purposes,” the CHASS said in a communique issued at its just-ended 63rd Annual National Conference held at the University of Energy and Natural Resources at Sunyani in the Bono Region.
The event held from October 6-12, 2025 was on the theme: “Ensuring Comprehensive, Equitable and Sustainable Secondary Education in Ghana – The Role of Stakeholders”.
Tablets
The communique signed by the President of CHASS, Rev. Fr Stephen Owusu Sekyere, and his Secretary, Baro Primus, also noted with concern the slow pace with which tablets for schools were being distributed as the academic year nears its end.
It further lamented the situation where some schools had received tablets without charging units.
“Since these devices contain learning materials for the new curriculum, all students must have access to them to avoid disparities during national assessments.
We recommend that the supplier immediately deliver the missing charging units and that access to social media or unauthorised sites be disabled from the devices.
“We further propose a consultative stakeholder meeting to resolve all outstanding issues related to the tablet policy,” it added.
“CHASS also wishes to draw attention to several issues hampering the effective administration of SHSs, including but not limited to abandoned projects and the non-payment of intervention funds since 2024.
We urge the Ministry of Education to address these concerns promptly to ease the burden on school heads and staff in their pursuit of improved learning outcomes”.
The heads of second cycle schools drew the attention of the government to the absence of duty-post vehicles and buses in many schools.
It urged the Ministry of Education to address the challenge in the shortest possible time.
“It must also be noted that senior high and senior high technical schools face acute shortages of all categories of non-teaching staff.
This phenomenon is seriously hampering the smooth administration of schools. We urge the government to treat this issue with the urgency it deserves.
“We welcome the government's commitment to transitioning all schools to a single-track calendar by the 2027/28 academic year.
CHASS pledges its full cooperation and continued engagement with the GES to ensure a smooth transition.
We urge the government to allocate adequate budgetary resources to the Ministry of Education for effective implementation of the transition roadmap,” it said.
Acknowledgements
The school heads expressed their appreciation to the government for its continuous efforts to enhance SHS education, particularly through the Free SHS policy.
“We acknowledge the significant budgetary demands of this policy and the resulting implications for other national priorities.
“We commend the government for its steadfast resolve to ensure that quality secondary education is accessible to every Ghanaian child, regardless of socioeconomic background,” it said.
It acknowledged the government’s initiative to establish a dedicated fund for the Free SHS programme through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), which will ensure regular and timely disbursement of funds to schools.
“We further welcome the government’s decision to reinstate Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) in all schools, thereby strengthening stakeholder participation in the educational value chain.
“Again, the government’s determination to separate 'post' from 'rank' in the Ghana Education Service (GES) to allow teachers to progress beyond the rank of Deputy Director is highly commendable,” it said.
That, it said, would facilitate effective planning of school programmes and guarantee adequate instructional hours to ensure quality education.
“We commend all Senior High School heads for their extraordinary leadership, diligence, sacrifice, and perseverance in sustaining schools despite severe financial challenges.
We also recognise the invaluable contributions of teachers, non-teaching staff and other stakeholders in the management of senior high schools.
“We further acknowledge and appreciate the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, particularly the Minister of Education and his deputy, the Director-General of the GES, and his team, for their humility, openness to engagement, and the mutual respect that characterises our collaboration,” the communique stressed.
It commended the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, for his assurance, in principle, to decentralise the procurement of certain food items for schools.
