The Ghana Education Service (GES) has announced the reinstatement of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) in all public pre-tertiary schools across the country.
This decision follows a directive from President John Dramani Mahama, who emphasized the importance of parental involvement in education.
In a press statement dated July 17, 2025, the GES asked heads of public senior high, technical, and STEM schools to take immediate steps to operationalise the directive.
The Service said the move was aimed at increasing parental involvement and improving cooperation between schools and communities.
“The Ghana Education Service (GES) wishes to inform the general public… of the directive from His Excellency, the President of the Republic, John Dramani Mahama, on the full reinstatement of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) in all pre-tertiary schools across the country,” the statement, signed by the Head of Public Relations, Mr Daniel Fenyi, said.
This marks a reversal of the 2019 policy introduced under the previous administration, which banned mandatory PTA levies and suspended their operations following the rollout of the Free Senior High School programme.
The previous administration had argued that mandatory levies under the various associations were an obstacle to the free SHS programme.
In place of PTAs, the GES introduced Parent Associations (PAs), which removed teachers from decision-making on school development projects and restricted the collection of dues without approval from central authorities.
President Mahama had, on various platforms, including a meeting with the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in June 2025, described the sidelining of PTAs as unacceptable.
He promised to restore them as an integral part of the education system. “PTA participation must be fully restored. Parents are not just observers, they are key stakeholders in our children’s education,” he said at the time.
According to Mr Fenyi, the GES will, in the coming weeks, issue detailed guidelines on the roles, structure, and financial responsibilities of the PTAs to provide clarity and consistency across all schools.
The Service urged all parties involved in school administration, including teachers, parents, and community leaders, to support the implementation of the directive.