The Human Resource Manager of Ghana National Council of Private Schools, Mr Prince Kwaku Entsie has hinted that about 126 private schools have collapsed after closure of schools through out the country due to Covid-19 crisis.
He further indicated that as a result of the closure of the schools about 2394 teachers have lost their jobs.
He explained that out of the collapsed schools some of them have been converted into residential infrastructural facilities including hotels and guest houses.
“The reason for these private schools being converted into residential facilities was not only as a result of the government’s directives to close down schools in the country as part of preventive measure to curtail the spread of Covid-19, but some of these private schools owed banks and they would have to resort to this measure to get money to pay their bank debt.”
“Private Schools closed their schools down because they owed banks ,and the banks have frozen their collaterals.
“Some of them are frustrated because when they consider the amount of money they have to pay now that schools are reopening.”
Mr Prince Kwaku Entsie made this disclosure when he was contributing to a discussion on the announcement of school reopening by his Exellency ,President Akuffo Addo on the TV3 New Day in Accra.
Mr Prince Kwaku Entsie further noted that some of these private schools were being chased by Ghana Revenue Authority ,GRA,and ,Social Security and National Investment Trust , SSNIT.
” Since the schools were closed down, the offices of GRA, and SSNIT have just pilled up their debt.
“Almost everyday we receive complaints from private school operators about GRA and SSNIT.
They are always on the neck of proprietors of private schools.
Some of them are frustrated because when they consider the amount of money they have to pay now that schools are reopening.”
He bemoaned how the state have decided not to help the private schools to keep running in this difficult times
” This is just the beginning and we can see that the state is not ready to support the private schools.
He enumerated the contribution of private schools to Ghana’s educational growth.
“Private schools contributed about 47 to 49 per cent from 2017 to 2018 to Ghana’s educational growth.
“Private schools have more infrastructural facilities more than the government.
“When you talk of students population in the private schools and compare it with the public schools,we take about 33 per cent and government has about 60 something per cent.
On the issue of 2394 private schools teachers who have lost their jobs, he noted that there were about 70 per cent of them who were non professional teachers and there was likelihood that Ghana Education Service,GES, would not employed them.
“This is just the beginning let’s give ourselves about two months ,we will see what will happen regarding the increase in unemployment rate in the country.
” We have done some average calculations here ,the teachers who have lost their jobs with the private schools.We didn’t include the cooks ,the drivers, the securities and the cleaners. You could see that a large chunk of Ghanaians are now unemployed.
Responding to the private schools which have been reportedly collapsed, the Communication Director of Coalition of Concern Teachers ,Mr Adokwey Ayikwey Awuley who was also on the show stressed that although the country was not in normal times and the situation the teachers found themselves in was pathetic,he quickly noted the situation should not be overly be exaggerated.
“It is true people have been unemployed for all these ten months.It is also true teachers with private schools are not being paid. But then now that schools are supposed to reopening, do we expect that the unemployment situation in the private schools will go up ?
“And does it mean that private schools that have been shut down will not be reopening again?
“I think things are now rolling back to normal,things are recovering now that schools are reopening.
He was hopeful situation in the private schools would be curtailed.
” I don’t think things are going to be worse off ,things will be better because schools are now reopening and the teachers will start receiving payment into their pocket .And schools are now going to pay their debt.” ,he reiterated