New Update: Atomic Hills Basic School fingered for charging unapproved GHS500 for admission fees, others

Parents have accused Atomic Hills Basic School of charging unapproved fees. The public school is located in Accra’s Ashongman Estate neighbourhood.

The complaint about the school charging approved exorbitant fees came to light after Ghana Education New published a similar publication on St. Sylvanus R/C Basic School located in Amasaman.

According to reliable information on this portal, Atomic Hills Basic School charges GHS 500 for admission into lower and upper primary class levels. Admission into public schools across the country is free, yet some public schools have found a way to charge these unapproved fees at the expense of the Ghana Education Service.

According to our informant, the school also charges GHS50 for Parent-Teacher Association fees and extra money for end-of-term examinations.

Parents must pay clearance fees for BECE candidates once they have registered for the examination before their wards can sit for the exam. Per the GES policies, there is nothing like pre- or post-BECE clearance fees for BECE candidates.

We are calling on the GES to conduct its own internal investigations and inquire with the school and parents whose children attend Atomic Hills Basic School in the Ashongman Estate neighborhood of Accra.

Such unapproved fees, when charged in public schools, significantly undermine the fundamental purpose of fee-based education. It can also serve as an obstacle for some parents who want to enroll their children in the said public school.

Public basic schools must also hold the GES accountable for their failure to be present on the ground and for not providing the necessary funding and logistics to prevent them from charging such unapproved fees.

However, this should not justify the exorbitant fees that can serve as an obstacle to a child’s education in public schools in the country.

READ Unapproved fees in public basic school: GES petitioned

“Atomic Hills Basic School, located in Ashongman Estate, also imposes excessive fees.” They charge GHC 500 for admission to the lower and upper primary classes. They also charge GHC 50 for PTA and an additional GHC 500 for exams. “They also charge clearance fees for candidates before they write BECE.” According to the parent’s report.

The GES is challenged to take steps to unearth more on the Atomic Hills Basic School charging of unapproved GHS500 for admission fees and other fees.

New Update and Investigation Findings:

Following the publication of the above story, a team of three Ghana Education Service officers from the Ga East Education Directorate, led by the PRO in the person of Mr. Seth Anyomi, initiated swift and proactive investigations into the issues raised.

The three-member team’s findings revealed that the report that Atomic Hills Basic School charges GHS 500 for admission into lower and upper primary class levels was false. However, the executives of the school’s Parents Association (PA) confirmed that the association had agreed to charge parents GHS50.00 for what they referred to as Support for Schools.

Minutes from the school’s Parents Association confirm the decision to levy GHS50.00. The PTA receives the amount, not the school.

Mr. Seth Anyomi’s investigation team also engaged with school pupils, parents, and opinion leaders to further validate their findings. At the time of filing this update, the aggrieved informant was not reachable for further updates.

We will keep readers updated with new details on this developing story.