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The Ghana Education Service (GES) has dismissed claims circulating on social media that the Director-General has cancelled the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy and directed parents and guardians to pay GH¢1,500 for chop boxes, trunks and other items.
In a circular issued on Tuesday, August 18, the GES described the publication as false and urged parents, guardians, students and the general public to disregard the claim.
The clarification comes as preparations intensify for students preparing to enter senior high schools, with the purported directive reportedly raising concerns among parents and guardians.
The Service stated that the Free SHS policy remains in effect and that the Director-General has not issued any directive requiring parents or guardians to make payments for chop boxes, trunks or other items.
The GES further explained that its Director-General does not have the authority to cancel a national policy, dismissing the suggestion that the Free SHS programme had been scrapped.
“Management wishes to state categorically that the publication is FALSE and should be disregarded. Management has not cancelled the Free SHS policy, nor has the Director-General issued any directive requiring parents or guardians to pay any money for chop boxes, trunks or any other item,” the statement said.
The Service consequently cautioned parents, guardians and students against making payments to individuals based on the information circulating on social media.
It urged the public to rely exclusively on official communications issued through the GES’s authorised channels for information on the Free SHS programme and school-related requirements.
“Parents, guardians, students and the general public are therefore urged not to make any payments to anyone. The GES advises the public to rely only on official communications issued through the Service’s authorised channels and to treat unverified publications on social media with caution,” it added.