GES and TVET Service Crack Down on Unauthorized Fees and Mandatory School Item Sales

The Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ghana TVET Service have launched a major crackdown on the collection of unauthorized fees and the compulsory sale of school items in Senior High Schools (SHS) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions across the country. These directives, issued in late September 2026, are part of a broader effort to enforce the government’s Free SHS and Free TVET policies. Authorities have warned school heads that any violation of these guidelines will result in severe administrative sanctions, including potential removal from office, as the government seeks to ensure that financial barriers do not prevent students from accessing secondary education. According to reports from Graphic Online and Citi Newsroom, the GES has specifically ordered school heads to immediately cease the collection of admission fees and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) dues, the latter of which is currently on hold pending legal proceedings. Furthermore, the GES is investigating complaints that some schools are forcing parents to purchase prospectus items—such as uniforms and personal storage containers—directly from the institution at inflated prices rather than allowing them to buy from the open market. GES Public Relations Officer Daniel Fenyi clarified that while schools may offer items for sale, they cannot make such purchases mandatory. In a parallel move, the Ghana TVET Service has cautioned institutions against imposing unapproved processing fees and other compulsory payments during the admissions cycle. To ensure transparency and fairness, the service has deployed Academic Calendar Monitoring Teams to various institutions to assess admission procedures in real-time. The TVET Service emphasized that these unauthorized charges undermine public trust in the national Free TVET initiative. Both the GES and TVET Service have urged parents and guardians to resist paying any unapproved levies and to report such incidents to the relevant authorities for swift action. This coordinated enforcement effort highlights the government's commitment to maintaining the integrity of its free education flagship programs. By mandating the refund of illegally collected fees and investigating price gouging on school supplies, the education regulators aim to ease the financial burden on Ghanaian households. As the academic year progresses, the focus remains on ensuring that the admission process is transparent and that no student is denied entry to school due to unauthorized financial demands.