Gov't Owes Sekondi Takoradi Schools Cedi Billions

Information reaching The Chronicle indicates that government has failed to pay the GH¢3 per pupil capitation grant, to most of the public schools in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis.

The Metropolitan Directorate of Education has a total of 118 public schools, with a total student population of 24,041.

This reporter gathered, from sources at the offices of the Metro Directorate of Education, that the government owed schools in the metropolis, a whooping GH¢60,000 for the 2006/7 academic year alone.

For the 2007/8 academic year, government has settled only GH¢1.00, instead of GH¢3.00 per student. This means that government has GH¢2.00 arrears to settle for each student.

The Chronicle learnt that due to the huge backlog of the grants, the Directorate could not organize recreational activities, such athletics among the schools.

The schools could also not organize end of year exams, since there was no money available for the printing of examination papers. Schools, which managed to conduct the examinations, did so on blackboards.

The Metro Director of Education, Mr. M. Ayew-Morgan, would not comment on the issue, when this reporter contacted him on phone.

But sources at offices of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), however confirmed that government was indeed indebted to the schools, which is affecting their academic work.