Jobless Pupils To Pay GH¢72, 000 Levy Into Education Trust Fund

Credible information available to the Daily Heritage indicates that pupils of Lower West Akyem Municipality of the Eastern region are being tasked to pay a levy that should accrue to a total of GHC72, 000.00 to establish an education trust fund.

Residents in the municipality are also to pay a total of over GH¢ 500, 000.00 per annum as part of measures by the assembly to raise funds to set up and sustain the educational trust fund supposedly aimed at giving scholarships to brilliant but needy students in the municipality.

The move has triggered anger from parents and some assembly members in the municipality who have vowed to kick against the levy.

According to them, the levy when implemented will aggravate their economic woes taking into consideration their level of income.

Joseph Kwasi Baah, assembly member for Brekumanso electoral area in an interview with the paper lamented about the falling standard of education in the municipality and revealed that the municipality has continuously recorded low performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

He said in 2011, seven schools recorded 0% at the BECE; eight schools also recorded 0 % in 2012, while 16 JHS recorded 0% in 2013. This according to him needs to be tackled with all seriousness.

He, however, said the proposed levy would not remedy the situation and that the assembly must find other avenues to solve the problem instead of levying jobless school pupils.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Lower West Akyem, George Akpaloo told the paper in a telephone interview that the levy when implemented and enforced would help to sustain the fund which will serve as a catalyst to encourage pupils in the municipality to take education serious.

He said the fund will be used to address other educational challenges in the municipality. Mr Akpaloo further explained that the levy is at the consideration stage before the social services committee having being approved by the executive committee. The levy will later be laid before the assembly for final approval. He said an estimated 48,000 pupils in the municipality will pay 50p each per term.