The Ghana Education Service (GES) has cautioned heads of Senior High Schools against collecting unauthorized fees or items from parents and students.

The GES says heads of schools who have collected monies from parents or students outside the approved charges must refund the amounts or risk being removed from office.

The service has also warned school heads against demanding cement, paint or other materials from parents under the guise of supporting school development.

"Let me unequivocal here; this worrying trend must stop. The collection of unauthorised fees and charges from parents in connection with admission is inconsistent with the principles underpining the free Senior High School policy. The free Senior High School policy was introduced to remove financial barriers to senior secondary education and to ensure that no child is denied access to education at the Senior High School level because of inability of parent or guardian to pay certain fees."

According to the GES, such demands are not permitted and could attract sanctions including removal from office.

"Any conduct by a school head that undermines this objective will not be tolerated. I, therefore, wish to state clearly that any head of school who has collected monies from student or their parents without proper authorisation must refund those monies. Any head of school that allows such monies to be collected by third party within the school premise will also be punished severely within the rules and regulations of the service," the GES Director-General, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis warned.

The GES urged all heads of schools to comply with the directives and ensure that parents and students are not subjected to unauthorised financial demands.

"We will not allow the actions of a few individuals to undermine a policy that has expanded access to secondary education for thousands of Ghanaian children."

The GES further cautioned that the payment of Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) dues are not compulsory, adding that parents and students should not be forced or compelled to pay PTA dues or provide materials to schools.

"I urge parents and guardians who encounter such demands to report to GES at the district, metro, municipal, regional or headquarters", the GES boss emphasised.