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A memo dated Friday, March 30, 2018 issued by the Director-General of the GES, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, to all regional directors of education said the reduction in fees was because the students, who would start their 2018 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in April and end on June 1, 2018, would spend only seven weeks, instead of the full 14 weeks, in school.
“Management has noted that senior high schools will reopen for the third term of the current academic year on 16th April, 2018 and will end on 2nd July, 2018, which interprets into 14 weeks.
“It has also been noted that final-year students will write the final paper for the WASSCE on the 1st of June, 2018. This means final-year students will be in school for the third term from 16th April to 1st June, 2018, which also interprets into seven weeks.
“The implication is that final-year students will be in school for exactly half of the normal term. It is, therefore, directed that final-year students should pay one half or 50 per cent of the fees for the third term,” it said.
It, however, stated that adjustments could be made if students were made to stay through the Easter vacation.
“In the instance where the final-year students will be asked to stay in school during the current holidays or will reopen on April 16, 2018, the fees should be adjusted to reflect the number of weeks they will be spending in school,” it said.
Differing fees
Explaining the directive further to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Public Relations Officer of the GES, Ms Cassandra Twum Ampofo, said as the fees and approved levies paid by students in various schools differed, so would the calculation of the 50 per cent not be the same for all schools and students, writes Edmund Smith-Asante.
“The fees differ because of the difference in the courses. Some will also complete earlier than others, and when that happens, their calculations will also differ,” the GES PRO said.
Ms Twum Ampofo also said students who completed their papers earlier would leave the school compounds right afterwards, while those who had papers to write right up to the end of the timetable would have to stay on till the last day, which was why the fees would differ.
The GES PRO reiterated the fact that school heads would “basically calculate the number of days the students will stay on the compound and the students will pay that amount”.
She declined to quote any figures, stating that the heads already knew how to go about the calculations, depending on the fees and the GES approved levies being charged in the various schools.
