General News of Thursday, 30 January 2020
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
File photo: Achimota Preparatory School
Sources at the Ghana Education Service has clarified that the outfit has no intention of taking over the management of the Achimota Preparatory School, which it has been in contention with over the past years.
According to the sources, even though there are several misconceptions in the media about the details of the ongoing controversies, what the GES is interested in, is taking over the property which hosts the school.
Earlier, media reports indicated that the GES after giving a directive in December 2019, proceeded to take over management of the school on Monday, January 27, 2020, but faced resistance from the authorities of the Achimota Preparatory, a situation which subsequently led to the postponement of the school’s mock exams.
But sources at the GES who spoke to GhanaWeb on the basis of anonymity denied part of such reports branding it as ‘misconceptions’.
“Indeed, we proceeded to takeover but not over management of the school but the premises and the building thereof. They (school authorities) are just throwing misconception to the media. We’re not taking any private man’s business…But parents shouldn’t be under any compulsion to move their children,” the source told the news team.
With regards to reports about payments of royalties, the source also disclosed that “It was not a lease but a tenancy agreement which expired in 1971. And discussions about their movement has been on the table for the last four years. Our last meeting was in the last quarter of 2019.”
In an attempt to bring further clarity to the issue, GhanaWeb spoke to some sources at the Achimota Preparatory School.
Even though they refused to officially address the issues, with a reason that the case is in court, explanations given to the news team on a strict basis of anonymity described the directives by the GES as contradictory.
The source indicated that, the GES’ claim of taking over the property and not the school is not substantive because per the provisions of two letters addressed to the school, the GES emphatically stated in its first letter that, it was going to restructure the school.
The second letter dated December 27, 2019 also stated that “the GES Greater Accra Regional Office writes to inform you of a takeover of the premises of the APS on 27 January 2020. Parents are to be informed that personnel from the GES shall be posted to the school. There is, therefore, no need for any pupil/students to be withdrawn from the school. All government policies applicable to public schools shall be applied to the management of the school…”
Based on this, the source further noted that the land in question does not belong to the GES.
Even though there seem to be some grey areas in the details given by these persons, calm has been restored in the interim.
Meanwhile, the GES and the authorities of the Achimota Preparatory School are scheduled to meet on Friday, January 31, 2020 to discuss probable alternatives and the way forward.
