Alhaji Mohammed Haroon, Volta Regional Director of Ghana Education Service (GES) on Wednesday said Ghana Education Service was justified in placing a ceiling on Parent Teacher Association (PTA) dues and levies in senior high schools.

He said the ceiling was to ensure that education is accessible and affordable to everyone in line with government’s policy.

Alhaji Haroon was speaking in an interview with Ghana News Agency regarding statements by the Regional Chapter of the National Council of PTAs describing the standardisation of the dues and levies as “undemocratic and unrealistic”.

He said though GES recognised the contributions of PTAs to education, it could not allow such bodies to use levies and dues to send children out of school.

“Government is particular about fees. Our priority is access and affordability and we can’t allow PTAs to charge students arbitrarily,” Alhaji Haroon said.

He said the GES “checks unit schools to protect government’s policy on affordable fees in the interest of the common person. We cannot allow PTAs to use exorbitant fees to take students out of the classrooms. We have international conventions to meet”, Alhaji Haroon said.

He asked PTAs to concentrate on the supervision and monitoring of teaching and learning and not only billing students for projects.

“They should go and help head teachers to find out how teachers and students are performing and not just projects and billing students,” the Director stressed.

A parent who spoke on the issue on the condition of anonymity on the issue said PTA executives are cheating parents with exorbitant charges and making money from the levies and dues.

He said they charge PTA dues, development levy, staff motivation, which he had to pay for all his three children.

GES at the beginning of the 2014/2015 academic year approved GH¢668.50 as school fee for boarders and GH¢355.50 for day students in government assisted senior and technical high schools.

The approved fees, which included GH¢35.00 as PTA levy is to check the charging of unapproved fees, which put heavy financial burden on parents and students.

However, some parents told the GNA they paid almost double of the approved fees for the academic year.

The GNA learnt that some PTA chairpersons in the Region have been invited to explain why they charged unapproved fees.