The Ghana Education Service (GES) has stated that the National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTA) has not been mandated, appointed or authorized to represent the Service, public schools, parents or students, or to enter into commercial agreements on their behalf, following announcements of a reported partnership between the NCPTA and Prospectus Ghana Limited (EDUPACK PGL).
In a clarification, GES Management said it had taken note of recent announcements that the NCPTA and Prospectus Ghana Limited planned to market and sell products across approximately 200 schools, and moved to prevent misapprehension and protect parents and students from unapproved financial commitments.
GES Management stated that the NCPTA has not been authorised by the Service to speak for it, represent public schools, parents or students, or enter into commercial agreements on their behalf.
The statement was aimed at removing any impression that the reported arrangement carries the backing of the Service.
Management explained that Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) function strictly at the individual school level, working directly with local school authorities on matters concerning learner development and school welfare.
MoU With Prospectus Ghana Limited Does Not Compel Purchases
“The GES does not recognise a national PTA structure empowered to issue directives, negotiate sales arrangements, or represent all parents and schools under the Service.”
Ghana Education Service (GES)
While clarifying its position on the NCPTA, GES confirmed that it maintains a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Prospectus Ghana Limited to introduce the company’s educational products and services to schools. It stressed, however, that purchasing these items is strictly voluntary.
Management said the MoU does not make the acquisition of Prospectus Ghana products compulsory, and does not empower any external body to impose them as required school items.
This distinction is significant for parents, who may otherwise assume that products promoted in schools carry an official obligation to buy.
Protecting Learners and Parents from Unapproved Charges
GES reaffirmed what it described as an unyielding commitment to protecting learners and parents from unauthorised fees, compulsory product purchases and unapproved financial levies in all public schools.
Management directed school authorities, parents and third-party vendors to ensure that all communications and arrangements align strictly with official GES guidelines.
The statement places responsibility on all parties involved in school-based commercial activity, signalling that vendors and school heads alike will be expected to operate within approved channels.
GES said it will continue to uphold institutional integrity and enforce compliance across all public basic and senior high schools, ensuring that access to education remains transparent and free of unapproved levies.
“Access to education must remain transparent and unburdened by unapproved levies.”
Ghana Education Service (GES)
Context Of Ongoing Fee Concerns
The clarification follows a recent GES directive cautioning heads of Senior High and Senior High Technical Schools against collecting unauthorised fees, including admission fees and PTA dues, and comes at a time when the question of PTA dues collection is pending before the courts. Together.
The two statements point to a tightening of the Service’s stance on financial demands placed on parents in public schools.
For parents, the practical import of the statement is that no student can be compelled to buy Prospectus Ghana products as a condition of enrolment or participation in school activities, and that no national body has been given authority by GES to negotiate such arrangements on their behalf.
Parents who encounter pressure to purchase such items are expected to raise the matter with the Service.
As the clarification circulates, attention will turn to whether the NCPTA and Prospectus Ghana Limited respond to the Service’s position, and how school authorities across the roughly 200 schools mentioned in the announcements adjust their engagements in line with the directive.
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