The Minister for Education and Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has indicated that all public universities have been informed that all fees and charges have to be vetted and approved by Parliament in accordance with the Fees and Charges Act.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh stated that proposals on the fees and charges of the public universities were collated from the various public institutions and submitted through the Ministry of Finance to Parliament for the 2016/2017 academic year.
Answering a question by Member of Parliament for Akatsi North, Mr. Peter Nortsu-Koteo, on the steps the Ministry of Education is taking to stop public universities from charging high graduation fees, he revealed that approval for the the submitted proposals to Parliament are still pending.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh explained that the 2017/2018 academic year has been exhausted without receiving the necessary approval on the proposals submitted.
He reiterated that fees and charges in the public tertiary institutions remained frozen at 2016/2017 rates, until the Ministry secures approval from Parliament on the new rates.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh added that the only challenge the Education Ministry is facing is the delay in receiving approval from Parliament.
On the measures the Ministry is taking to ensure timely completion of some Community Senior High Schools, the Education Minister stated that his ministry and Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) have assessed the status of all the Community Day Senior High School projects.
He added that the assessment reveals that some of the projects are in progress while some of them have been abandoned with others yet to start.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Dr. Opoku Prempeh stated that the Ministry has also assessed the impact of the Community Day Senior High Schools, and that accessibility to some of the schools would be challenging due to the distance from the nearest communities.
He however disclosed that the Ministry is prioritising the completion of the blocks on a need basis, and that contracts that have not been commenced at all will be deferred to a later date.
Source: GhanaJustice/S.Ayisi
