Change schools if fee increment is a headache – CoDPPTS

An association of directors of private pre-tertiary schools have said their members will increase fees if need be as schools resume across the country.

According to the Conference of Directors of Private Pre-Tertiary Schools (CoDPPTS), they needed not necessarily consult parents and other stakeholders before adjusting fees.

Their position comes amid concerns raised by a section of parents about hike in fees. A press release by its president, however, admitted that parents remained key stakeholders in their business.

The statement signed by Philip Boateng Mensah, read in part: “Just as no business entity in Ghana with private schools not being exception, do not consult customers, parent or clients, before they review their prices upward, the fixing of fees in private schools are the prerogative of private school owners.”

The statement bemoaned how operators in the private education ecosystem suffered 'neglect' during the pandemic - from the part of government and parents.

“COVID-19 has been an eye-opener for entrepreneurs in the private education sector because, when schools were closed down for almost a year, no parent nor government exhibited any concern about how private school teachers or proprietors fared in order to provide a lifeline for survival.”

The association entreated parents to take their children to schools that meet their budget in the event that they are unable to afford fees and other expenses.

"Parents have unfettered access to all schools in Ghana including government schools, which are almost free, so it is needless to decide to stay in a particular school when your budget can not keep you there.”

What CoDPPTS said about government support (stimulus package) after December 2020 meeting

The meeting noted that, since the closure of schools in March 2020, support from Government for Private Schools and their Teachers has been mere rhetoric and mockery.

The various stimulus packages provided by government to its institutions and personnel they considered priority excluded the private school owners and teachers.

The allocation to NBSSI for private school teachers to access was nothing to write home about. Although it was conspicuous, government was supporting private organisations in these difficult times, its education partners were relegated to the background.

Even though this conduct of government is in bad faith and smacks of government perceiving private schools as competitors rather than partners in development, we wish to draw government's attention to the fact that, we complement its effort in providing quality education hence, in critical times as this, when the closure of schools was not the making of private schools, it is important to treat everyone equally rather than being discriminatory.