No school should charge fees – GES declares 

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has firmly denied authorising any school to collect fees from students or parents under any name or arrangement, reaffirming the government’s commitment to the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy.

In a statement shared on its official Facebook page and copied to the Ghana News Agency, the GES cautioned the public against misinformation being circulated by individuals claiming that schools have been permitted to charge additional fees, particularly feeding fees.

According to the Service, no approval has been granted for schools to impose such charges, and any institution demanding payments from students or parents is acting outside official policy directives.

“Nonetheless, any school found to be charging money under the guise of feeding fees, as alleged, is acting unlawfully and without the approval of Management,” the statement said.

GES stressed that the government remains fully committed to sustaining and improving the Free SHS programme, which was introduced to increase access to secondary education across the country.

“Government’s commitment to not only maintain the Free SHS policy, but improve upon it, has not changed,” the statement added.

The Service further warned that attempts to undermine the policy through the spread of false information or the illegal collection of fees would be treated seriously and considered contrary to the national interest.

“Any attempt to undermine this policy — whether through the spread of false information or through clandestinely imposing fees on students — will be treated as an act contrary to national interest,” GES stated.

The education authority has therefore encouraged students, parents, and guardians to report any school that demands feeding fees or other unauthorised payments for immediate investigation and disciplinary action.

GES assured the public that it remains committed to protecting the integrity of the Free SHS policy and ensuring that all approved public secondary education services remain accessible without unlawful financial demands.