The Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) has called for stronger collaboration between private schools and education regulatory bodies to address inequalities in the sector and create a fairer environment for the delivery of quality education.

The Association made the call at its 30th Annual General Conference held at the Ho Technical University in the Volta Region, where it raised concerns over the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), teacher licensing, curriculum implementation and the regulation of private schools.

The conference, held under the theme “Revolutionising Education: Transforming Ghana Through Innovation and Technology,” brought together private school proprietors, teachers, education officials, and other stakeholders.

In a speech delivered on behalf of the President of GNAPS, Prof. Damasus Tuuroson, by the First Vice President, Justice King Essiel Amevor, the Association emphasised that private schools remained important partners in Ghana’s education system and should be more meaningfully engaged in policy decisions.

Justice Amevor said GNAPS was not opposed to regulation, stressing that effective regulation protected children, parents and responsible school owners.

“Regulation is not our enemy. Standards are not our foe,” he said, adding that the Association was ready to comply, collaborate and uphold standards while also speaking openly on issues affecting its members.

He said private schools provided quality and affordable education, expanded access and enrolment, employed young graduates and introduced innovative approaches into classrooms.

According to him, many private schools also accommodated parents who could only pay school fees in instalments, helping to keep children in school despite financial difficulties.

He, however, appealed to regulatory institutions to consider the challenges facing private schools and ensure that policies did not create additional disadvantages for them.

On the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA), Justice Amevor commended the leadership for making school supervision more collaborative and professional. He called on the Authority to go further by supporting low-fee private schools with capacity-building programmes and advocating for their access to selected government support, including capitation grants, training programmes and basic educational materials.

He said children in private schools should not be disadvantaged simply because they attend institutions where parents pay fees, noting that many families in the low-income sector also choose private education for their children.

The Association also expressed concern about teacher licensing requirements introduced by the National Teaching Council (NTC).

Justice Amevor said GNAPS supported the principle of having qualified and licensed teachers but called for a gradual and accessible pathway that recognised the realities of private schools.

He explained that many private schools had recruited people committed to teaching and trained them on the job because the government had historically absorbed most professionally trained teachers into the public sector.

“We shouldn't use measures that would seem to disadvantage our private school teachers,” he said, urging the NTC to work with GNAPS to develop practical pathways for teachers to meet professional requirements.

GNAPS further called for greater consultation with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) over changes to curriculum and learning materials. Justice Amevor said private schools were already under significant scrutiny from parents and needed policies that supported rather than unnecessarily burdened their operations.

The Association’s strongest concerns, however, centred on the 2026 BECE and the grading system used by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

Justice Amevor questioned how BECE grades were determined, arguing that candidates should be able to see how their actual examination scores translated into grades.

He said greater transparency was necessary to enable schools and policymakers to determine whether educational outcomes were improving or declining.

He stressed that raising such concerns should not be interpreted as rebellion against state institutions.

“We are not like people who would not want to collaborate or take lawful instructions. All we are saying is that we are in partnership,” he said.

Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, who attended the conference, said the gathering provided an important platform for stakeholders to explore how innovation and technology could reshape teaching and learning.

He said the participation of more than 700 stakeholders demonstrated the importance of collective efforts to strengthen education and equip young people with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

The GNAPS conference also featured discussions on technology, education innovation and practical solutions to improve school administration, with participants encouraged to return to their institutions with actionable ideas.

Justice Amevor urged members to use the conference to identify at least one practical change they could implement in their schools, stressing that meaningful transformation depended on turning ideas into action.