Regional News of Friday, 31 October 2003

Source: GNA

Private schools owners urged to stop charging high fees

Agona Jerusalem (C/R), Oct. 31, GNA - Prophet Yaw Assan, Proprietor of Jerusalem preparatory school has called on private school owners to desist from charging exorbitant fees and encourage parents and guardians to ensure quality education for their wards.

He said private schools were playing a vital role in providing quality education but that should not give them opportunity to exploit parents.

Prophet Assan who is also founder of Twere Nyame Healing Church, was speaking to the GNA in an interview after a fund raising harvest organised by the church in aid of the school at Agona Jerusalem, near Agona Nsaba.

He urged the proprietors to assist the government to find lasting solution to the falling standards and other problems associated with the education in the country.

He said the school was constructing a block of three-classrooms for the JSS at the cost of sixty million cedis.

Prophet Assan said he established the school in the area to assist parents in providing quality education to their children.

He said the Board and Management of the school had decided to charge the school fees in weekly instalments of 2,000 cedis per child, "so that poor parents in the area could also educate their children since education is the key to every nation's development."

Prophet Assan said 15 million cedis being the harvest proceeds would be used to purchase building materials, furniture and teaching materials to enhance effective teaching and learning.

The school is also constructing a teachers' bungalow, according to the proprietor, who appealed to the Agona District Assembly, non-governmental organisations and other donors to aid the school.