The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announce plans once again involve the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) in the management of education in Ghana.

He said this will contribute to the government’s commitment creating a more inclusive education system where parents, teachers, and administrators work together to ensure quality education for all students.

Speaking at a public forum yesterday the Minister expressed, “I am particularly happy to announce that PTAs will be introduced back into the management of education under the presidency of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, to work for parents and teachers to work together to improve learning outcomes in our educational institutions. And for PTAs to support our educational institutions to produce quality human capital for the country.”

Ghana Education Service (GES) under the Akufo-Addo led administration limited the influence of PTAs in the school management system through the suspension of PTA levies in 2019 following the introduction of the Free Senior High School.

This partly occurred after it emerged that some school heads were abusing the PTA system through the collection of PTA dues and levies defeating the objective of the then Akufo-Addo govt in removing cost as a barrier to secondary education in Ghana.

Recognizing this, teachers were exempted from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), recognizing it as Parent Association (PA).

The change limited the role of teachers in the management of schools, as PAs lacked the level of engagement and decision-making authority that PTAs traditionally held.

The decision to scrap PTAs faced criticism from various stakeholders in the education sector. Many argued that the removal of PTAs diminished teachers’ involvement and weakened the support system for students.

The current government’s move to reintroduce PTAs seeks to restore the collaborative framework that supports both educators and families in fostering a conducive learning environment.

Mr Haruna Iddrisu has therefore, called on stakeholders to engage actively with PTAs to foster better educational environments, saying by reinstating the PTAs, the government aims to strengthen community involvement in schools.