The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has urged that all senior high schools (SHSs) nationwide replace prepaid electricity meters with postpaid ones to prevent disruptions. According to CHASS, using prepaid meters leads to unnecessary operational interruptions that negatively impact academic activities and campus security.
“It is unreasonable to expect Heads of Schools to pay for electricity in advance for academic purposes,” CHASS stated in a communique issued after its 63rd Annual National Conference, held at the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Sunyani, Bono Region.
The event held from October 6-12, 2025 was on the theme: “Ensuring Comprehensive, Equitable and Sustainable Secondary Education in Ghana – The Role of Stakeholders”. The communique signed by the President of CHASS, Rev. Fr. Stephen Owusu Sekyere, and his Secretary, Baro Primus, also noted with concern the slow pace with which tablets for schools were being distributed as the academic year nears its end.
It further lamented the situation where some schools had received tablets without charging units. Since these devices contain learning materials for the new curriculum, all students must have access to them to avoid disparities during national assessments.
We advise that the supplier promptly deliver the outstanding charging units and ensure that devices are restricted from accessing social media and unauthorized websites. Additionally, we propose convening a consultative stakeholder meeting to address all unresolved matters concerning the tablet policy.
CHASS also highlights several challenges impeding the effective administration of senior high schools, such as abandoned projects and the non-payment of intervention funds since 2024. We strongly encourage the Ministry of Education to take swift action to resolve these issues, thereby alleviating the pressures on school leaders and staff as they strive to enhance educational outcomes.
Furthermore, the heads of second-cycle schools have informed the government about the lack of duty-post vehicles and buses in many institutions. We urge the Ministry of Education to tackle this problem as a matter of urgency.
“It must also be noted that senior high and senior high technical schools face acute shortages of all categories of non-teaching staff. This phenomenon is seriously hampering the smooth administration of schools. We urge the government to treat this issue with the urgency it deserves.
“We welcome the government’s commitment to transitioning all schools to a single-track calendar by the 2027/28 academic year. CHASS pledges its full cooperation and continued engagement with the GES to ensure a smooth transition. We urge the government to allocate adequate budgetary resources to the Ministry of Education for effective implementation of the transition roadmap,” it said.
The school heads expressed their appreciation to the government for its continuous efforts to enhance SHS education, particularly through the Free SHS policy. We acknowledge the significant budgetary demands of this policy and the resulting implications for other national priorities.
“We commend the government for its steadfast resolve to ensure that quality secondary education is accessible to every Ghanaian child, regardless of socioeconomic background,” it said. It acknowledged the government’s initiative to establish a dedicated fund for the Free SHS programme through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), which will ensure regular and timely disbursement of funds to schools.
“We further welcome the government’s decision to reinstate Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) in all schools, thereby strengthening stakeholder participation in the educational value chain. “Again, the government’s determination to separate ‘post’ from ‘rank’ in the Ghana Education Service (GES) to allow teachers to progress beyond the rank of Deputy Director is highly commendable,” it said.
That, it said, would facilitate effective planning of school programmes and guarantee adequate instructional hours to ensure quality education. “We commend all Senior High School heads for their extraordinary leadership, diligence, sacrifice, and perseverance in sustaining schools despite severe financial challenges. We also recognise the invaluable contributions of teachers, non-teaching staff and other stakeholders in the management of senior high schools.
“We further acknowledge and appreciate the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, particularly the Minister of Education and his deputy, the Director-General of the GES, and his team, for their humility, openness to engagement, and the mutual respect that characterises our collaboration,” the communique stressed. It commended the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, for his assurance, in principle, to decentralise the procurement of certain food items for schools.
Source: Emmanuel Bonney
