Dr. Archibald Letsa, Volta Regional Minister
The Volta Regional Bloc of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has fired the Volta Regional Minister, Hon. Archibald Yao Letsa over his statement that school heads in the Volta Region are sabotaging government’s free SHS policy.
The Volta Regional Minister was reported in the media to have cited [ads1]heads of Keta Senior High and Technical School for allegedly making parents to pay GHC250 for hostel for their wards who did not get a place in the boarding house.
This according to the Minister amount to sabotage of the government’s flagship free SHS programme.
But, Volta NUGS disagrees with the Minister stating that the region has about 80 senior high and technical schools which are beneficiaries of the free senior high school policy is being implemented, therefore the situation he (the Minister) cited with respect to Keta Senior High and Technical School cannot be generalise to cover the entire region.
This according to NUGS, is an erroneous impression being created by the Minister about the region and has since called on the minister to withdraw the statement and render unqualified apology to the Head of Schools in the Region.
The regional body of the NUGS seized the opportunity to congratulate government for implementing the free SHS policy.
“The Volta Regional bloc of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) without any equivocation wishes to congratulate the Government of Ghana under the leadership of the H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo for implementing this all important educational policy which is going to benefit first year students of the public senior high schools from all the ten regions of Ghana of which the Volta Region is no exception.” – the statement said
Read the full statement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
14th September, 2017
A REJOINDER: “SCHOOL HEADS IN VOLTA REGION SABOTAGING FREE SHS”
The Volta Regional Bloc of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has noted with utter dismay, a publication by one Adwoa Gyasiwaa Agyeman of the Multimedia group which appeared on www.adomonline.com on Wednesday 13th September, 2017 with the caption “School heads in Volta region sabotaging free SHS”
The said publication made reference to the Volta Regional Minister, Hon. Archibald Yao Letsa alleging that some school heads in the region are sabotaging the free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
According to him, some headmasters and headmistresses are extorting monies from parents anxious to get their wards enrolled.
We have studied the publication and wish to correct the erroneous impression being created by the publication about the Volta Region.
The Volta Regional bloc of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) without any equivocation wishes to congratulate the Government of Ghana under the leadership of the H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo for implementing this all important educational policy which is going to benefit first year students of the public senior high schools from all the ten regions of Ghana of which the Volta Region is no exception.
We however condemn the allegations of the Volta Regional Minister that some school heads are sabotaging the Free Senior High School Policy and humbly call on him as a matter urgency to withdraw such a statement and render an unqualified apology to the heads of the public senior high schools and all citizens of the region since his statement creates the impression that the people of Volta are anti-development and hence are sabotaging a policy aimed at human capital development.
Out of about 80 senior high and technical schools within the region in which the free senior high school policy is being implemented, he was able to cite only the Keta Senior High and Technical School as an example on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, alleging that parents are made to pay GHC250 for hostel for their wards who did not get a place in the boarding house. What happens to the reputation of the rest of the school heads in the region?
The Volta Regional Bloc of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) is against the charging of any unapproved fees by any school heads because these heads should have sought the approval of their employers before the implementation. We therefore call on the Minister to set up a complains unit where students and parents can lodge such complains when they are charged such unapproved fees for the necessary action to be taken against such heads.
It will be erroneous to accuse senior high school heads in the Volta region for sabotaging the free senior high school policy with an allegation of just a handful of senior high schools charging their students who did not get a place in the boarding house, hostel fees to perch in a room which was not provided by the government.
The Volta Regional Minister who represents the President should remain positive and pull everyone along in the region to support this all important initiative by the Government. Other regions are also faced with similar challenges but the key stakeholders in these regions have employed better ways of bringing the situations under control rather than the leveling of mere allegations which would go a long way to affect service delivery in these institutions.
ISSUED BY;
THE VOLTA REGIONAL BLOC OF NUGS.
•••••••••Signed••••••••
Evans Kuapah
Press and Information Secretary.
0507621305
Ameleke Kwadzo Bless
Education and Democratization Secretary.
0245595535
Divine Kporha
President
0247688209.