A committee set up to develop new guidelines for the operation of parent-teacher associations (PTAs) at the pre-tertiary education level has proposed that only parents or guardians with children or wards enrolled in a particular school can serve as PTA members and executives. It has further recommended that executives may serve two terms of two years each at the basic level and one two-year term at the secondary level. The recommendations were contained in a report presented to the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, by the PTA Guidelines Committee, chaired by the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare.
The committee comprised representatives from the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Conference of Heads of Basic Schools, civil society organisations, PTA leaders and regional directors of education.
Key provisions
The New National PTA Guidelines further recommended that PTA accounts should be audited annually by the Auditor-General, with Annual Reports submitted to the school management committee (SMC), district education officer (DEO) and regional education officer (REO). Regarding checks and balances, the guidelines said school heads must approve before PTA executives signed cheques to access the PTA account.
Also, teachers are banned from collecting PTA levies or being signatories to PTA accounts. Their role should be to advise and update the PTA on academic and school management/administration issues, including school discipline and policy. A child’s access to and participation in school, they said, could not be affected by a parent’s levy commitment.
Request
“Any request to charge a PTA levy requires annual DEOC approval, based on the PTA’s work plans, budgets, and previous year’s reports submitted to SMC, Ghana Education Service (GES)DEO/REO & DEOC,” it said. They said annual national PTA conferences would be held with the GES Director-General, featuring two selected PTA representatives (basic & secondary) from each of the 16 regions on a rotational basis to discuss policy. The guidelines said PTAs would move beyond only fundraising to active involvement in school discipline, teaching and learning improvement decision-making and implementation.
“While these measures aim to enhance accountability, inclusion and partnership between parents, teachers and school leadership, acceptance and compliance by PTAs and effective GES oversight is key to achieving impact,” the guidelines indicated. On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, President Mahama called for the full reinstatement of PTAs in schools nationwide, saying that sidelining parents from school governance had undermined accountability and community involvement. The GES on July 16, 2025, directed all public pre-tertiary schools to reinstate PTAs following a presidential directive.
Modalities
The communication stated that further guidelines would be issued regarding the modalities for reinstating Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) in senior high schools across the country. These guidelines will include the structure, roles, and financial accountability mechanisms for PTAs to ensure consistency in all schools.
In a letter, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, the acting Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), noted, “Following the recent directive by President John Dramani Mahama for the full reinstatement of PTAs in all pre-tertiary schools nationwide, the management of the GES directs that all school heads be informed to implement this directive immediately.”
The letter was sent to all regional directors of education. It also requested that these directors inform all metropolitan, municipal, and district directors of education within their jurisdictions. In addition, they were asked to advise the heads of public senior high, technical, and STEM schools to prepare for further instructions.
Source: Emmanuel Bonney
