Akuapem North Headteachers Accused of Charging Pupils for Lessons That Never Take Place
By Stanley Assor
Every school day, primary school pupils across the Akuapem North Municipality in the Eastern Region are dismissed at 3 p.m. Yet, for many families, the true cost of their child’s public education is quietly being extracted through a daily toll for classes that never happen.
An investigation by The New Republic has uncovered a systemic scheme in basic schools across the municipality where headteachers are allegedly compelling pupils to pay daily fees for mandatory “extra classes”—lessons that are often neither sanctioned by the government nor actually taught.
The scale of the alleged racket is staggering. In a region where the average school population is estimated at 173 pupils, the math paints a damning picture. With pupils reportedly forced to pay between GH¢5 and GH¢7 per day, three days a week, the fees add up to GH¢300 to GH¢420 per child every term. Multiplied across a single school, some headteachers could be pocketing upwards of GH¢73,000 per term—all for phantom lessons.
Following inquiries by The New Republic, the Akuapem North Municipal Education Directorate has pledged to launch a formal investigation into the scheme. David Yeboah Agyemang, the Public Relations Officer for the Directorate, confirmed the impending probe, which aims to expose school administrators who are flouting Ministry of Education guidelines to line their pockets.
The investigation confirmed that compulsory, unauthorized extra classes are rampant in several schools, including Akropong Methodist Basic School, Okuapemman Basic School, PCE Demonstration Basic School, and Akropong Salem Basic School.
The financial burden on parents is immediate and relentless. For many frustrated families, the indignation is not just about the money, but the deception. Parents told The New Republic they are being forced to pay the daily fees, yet their children are routinely sent home at the standard 3 p.m. dismissal time.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) mandates that pupils attend school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays, schools must close at 2 p.m. to allow teachers to hold Professional Learning Committee (PLC) meetings. If legitimate extra classes were being held, pupils would not be leaving school until 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. Instead, most children are home by 4 p.m., leaving a gap between the fees collected and the education delivered.
When confronted with the findings, some school officials deflected blame. Caleb Sakyi Adu, the immediate past Headteacher of Okuapeman Basic School, acknowledged the existence of the classes but claimed they were organized at the “behest of parents” rather than mandated by the school.
His claim directly contradicts the accounts of multiple parents who spoke to The New Republic, describing a system of coercion where they feel they have no choice but to pay to keep their children in the good graces of school authorities.
The GES has not sanctioned these extra classes, a fact that underscores the rogue nature of the operations. The promise of an investigation by the Municipal Education Directorate is a first step, but frustrated parents are demanding more than promises. They want the unauthorised classes halted immediately and the headteachers allegedly using the scheme as a personal cash cow to face sanctions.
For now, the pupils of Akuapem North continue to attend school under a cloud of exploitation, where the 3 p.m. bell signals not just the end of the school day, but the end of a lesson in a class they were charged for, but never received.