He said it has come to his notice that some SHSs Heads and Administrators in the District, as part of the admission process were illegally selling school kits such as track-suits and ‘Polo’-shirts to the fresh students and this is against the Free SHS policy.

Mr Obeng said this when he visited the Chiraa SHS on Monday as part of the “My First Day at School” visit to some basic and second cycle schools in the District.

It was to welcome new pupils and students to their respective schools and encourage them on the need to attend to their studies.“Students under the Free SHS policy are not to pay anything and no money should be taken from them, so all those involved must desist from that because it is strictly against government`s policy and no one should try it”, the DCE said.

Mr Obeng directed that any money taken from any student through the sale of any unauthorised item in the school must be refunded.He said the government was making everything in the secondary education free, hence any unauthorised means of collecting money must be stopped, because “it is discrediting the government and any person found in the act would be penalized”.

Mr Obeng accompanied by Mrs Veronica Angeline Adu-Saforo, the District Director of Education and other officials of the Assembly, visited 18 basic schools and presented teaching and learning materials as well as fruit juice and biscuits to more than 1000 fresh Kindergarten and class one pupils.

Mrs Adu-Saforo advised the pupils and students to be obedient and hard working and expressed government’s commitment to provide the necessary financial support, materials and logistics for smooth operation of the Free SHS and the Double-Track System to educate them to become responsible future leaders.