Private Schools forcing parents to buy overpriced books in schools is wrong, unethical, and illegal and the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) must take steps to halt the practice now. Imagine a school forcing you to buy all the books from them when you have two or more children in the school and one set of books costs about GHS900.00. How can parents take care of these especially when private schools make it compulsory and will not let parents know the specific books to be bought?
The GhanaEducation.org has received complaints about how private schools in Ghana, especially those in Accra, are exploiting parents when it comes to the purchase of books for their wards.
The 2023 academic year has started and parents are expected to buy books for their wards (Exercise books and textbooks) but many private schools are using witty and exploitative ways to make life uncomfortable for parents by charging very high fees for books that must be bought in the school.
The schools have refused to provide the titles of the said textbooks and will often only quote the total cost of the book for parents. How will parents be able to know whether they are being exploited or not, and whether they are getting value for money?
These schools, some of which are owned by churches and individuals, are reluctant to give parents the book lists so that parents can go to the open market to purchase books at affordable prices. Again, some of these schools issue book lists without the authors of textbooks. For example, an English reader for Primary 5 could just be an English reader followed by the price.
How on earth can parents know the exact author? These are all strategies private schools are using to siphon scarce financial resources from parents in these hard times
Since schools procure books from suppliers and publishers at discounted prices, one would expect that the prices they quote for books sold in their respective schools will be lower than what is on the open market. Sadly, that is not the reality.
This makes it just impossible for parents to buy books in bookshops, and make some legitimate savings. Parents who try to buy books from the open market are either issued a different book or the books are rejected by the schools.
The practice is widespread and if not checked in its growth stage, it will become another big challenge for government agencies whose burden it is to regulate the activities of private schools.
We believe this development and issue lies within the ambit of the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) under its mandate in enforcing standards as well as setting standards. It has the power to alter the unethical business practice in private schools.
Questions that NaSIA must answer to set the record straight are many. However, here are a few
Is there a policy that forbids schools from sharing their booklist with parents?
Are parents obliged to only purchase these textbooks from the schools?
In these hard economic times, why would schools treat us, poor parents like this?
Does the license issued to private schools allow them to exploit parents and take away their right to make choices regarding where to buy books?
Does NaSIA have a set of policies on matters such as this, and what is it doing about it?
There is a need for NaSIA to speak on these issues publicly to help parents whose wards are in private schools know the position of NaSIA on the issue at stake.
The National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA), formerly the National Inspectorate Board (NIB) is an autonomous body established by the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 (Act 1023) to Develop, Publish, Promote, Register and Enforce the highest quality standards for quality education in Public and Private Pre-Tertiary Schools (KG-SHS) in Ghana. It is time for us to hear your voice on this matter.
Take a look at one of such issues
Attached is the booklist and cost paid for a LOWER PRIMARY pupil.
Please, I have two children in a private school owned by a big orthodox church. They keep hassling me about purchasing their books for their new class.
When I ask for a book list, I hit a blank. So I called the Asst Headmaster to ask about the booklist.
He told me does not have it but has the total costs per class and that I can contact the Headmistress for the booklist.
But my checks show that the booklist is never given out to parents and secondly the prices of the school’s booklist are dearer in costs compared to the bookstores.
For instance, a normal note 1 exercise book is sold at the school for 6 GHS whereas I can get it at a bookstore for 5 GHS.
Private schools forcing parents to buy overpriced books in schools is wrong, unethical, and illegal – NaSIA must act now!