RE: Volta Region Schools Sabotaging Free SHS Policy, *The Case of Keta SHTS.*

The boarding accommodation in Keta SHTS is only able to accommodate students of Forms 2&3 (continuing students) only. This is due to the fact that Keta SHTS now runs almost all programmes under the SHS Education Curriculum.

Over the years there has been a tremendous increase in the number of shifts (classes) of some programmes run by the school. For instance, General Science and General Arts both of which used to have only two (A & B) classes, are now having four (A, B, C & D) classes, while Home Economics programme which used to have a class now has two (A & B) classes. This haven led to a major increase in the intake by the school was a response to pressure on the school by CSSPS to admit more. Since the school was not willing to have large classes sizes, there was a need to bring additional classes, in this case of about five classes.
Assuming each of these new five classes taking in 60 students on average, about 300 students per form leading to an increase in the overall student population by 900 students.

The school currently has an average student population of about 2,000 excluding form 1 students. About 50% of this are boarders.
So Ketasco for the past few years accommodated the form 1 students under hostel facility system.

The hostel facility is operated by PTA regulated by the school. The hostels have house masters and the Students in the hostels are referred to as Special Boarders.

Hostel fees are charged for a year to take care of utilities, repairs and maintenance.

*So it is not true that Keta SHTS Head or representatives of Head is/are charging parents of wards GH¢250.00 for hostel for their wards.*
The School administration regulate in the interest of parents in negotiating the hostel fees. It is PTA that received the hostel fees and not the school.

I believe it is rather in the interest of Free SHS Policy to have this alternative boarding system in the absence of which parents will be at the mercy of private home owners in Dzelukope charging them exorbitant fees. Unless the government is willing to absorb the hostel system too.

For instance, an Accra based parent who went to Dzelukope township yesterday to rent was shocked to have heard a bed in a room is costing Gh¢350.

So under Free SHS parents will have to pay Gh¢350 to rent a bed in town where the ward will have to cooking on his own instead of paying Gh¢250 to get same bed and eat three meals to be provided freely.

I think he needed to have done due diligence before hastily taking the steps he had taken.

I think an instruction to have make the fresh students day students is only a tricky strategy by government to cut down the number of boarders who will need to be provided 3 meals a day, hence cutting down cost.

By:
Ken K. Ocloo
Head, Business Dept.
Member, Academic Board
Keta SHTS.