THE Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the safety and protection of students, pledging to support sanctions against any staff member found guilty of professional misconduct.
The association said school authorities had a duty to protect students in their care and ensure that appropriate disciplinary measures were taken against staff who breached professional standards.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its 64th Annual Conference in Ho last Friday, the association also expressed concern about delays in the release of funds for the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy, saying the problem continued to undermine the effective management of schools.
The communiqué was jointly signed by the President of CHASS, the Reverend Father Stephen Owusu Sekyere, and the General Secretary, Mr Primus Baro.
The two-day conference was held on the theme: “Student Discipline in a Challenging World: Context, Challenges and a Constructive Way Forward”.
Photo caption: Reverend Fr Stephen Owusu Sekyere.
CHASS said it would no longer accept explanations for discrepancies in data that had resulted in first-year students’ funds being withheld for a year during the 2025 and 2026 academic years.
It said the long delays in releasing inadequate funds remained a major challenge for heads of schools, despite the establishment of a dedicated funding source for the FSHS policy.
The association recalled that heads of schools had been authorised by the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to procure food urgently for students in November and December 2025. However, the funds were not released to enable them to pay suppliers, some of whom were subsequently demanding payment from the heads.
On school feeding, CHASS said the current allocation of GH¢2.85 per student per day for perishable food items no longer reflected prevailing market prices. It added that similar funding constraints affected other items covered by the recurrent grant.
The association appealed to the government to increase the allocations to reflect current economic conditions and ensure that students received nutritious meals.
It also expressed concern about the 20 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) charged on the procurement of perishable food items and other basic academic resources, saying auditors continued to insist on the tax being applied.
CHASS urged the government to waive the tax, arguing that it placed an additional burden on already inadequate school funds.
It also called for clarity on the government’s proposed policy to decentralise the procurement of 40 per cent of essential food items to schools, saying the arrangement could improve feeding and support local economic activity.
The association further warned that supplying tablets to students without charging units posed a risk to school facilities, as unregulated charging could contribute to fire outbreaks.
It, therefore, called for the immediate provision of charging units to all schools.
FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, HO
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