The National Secretary of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Primus Baro, has confirmed that some secondary school heads have refrained from speaking about challenges in their schools due to threats and warnings from government authorities.
In an interview, Mr. Baro revealed that CHASS had received multiple complaints from school heads regarding such threats.
He recounted an incident where the association was summoned by the former Education Minister over a communiqué that was deemed unfavourable.
“There was a time in 2023 when we issued a communiqué, and the minister called us to his office. He was not happy with some of the things we said, but we made it clear that we were only representing the concerns of our members,” he said.
Mr. Baro acknowledged that these incidents made some headmasters hesitant to voice their concerns.
“It’s true that many people were afraid to talk, possibly because they were threatened or warned. It’s possible, and you can’t take that away,” he stated.
He also highlighted the restrictive communication protocol within the Ghana Education Service (GES), which requires school heads to seek permission from Regional Directors or even the Director-General before commenting on issues publicly.
“Our service does not easily allow direct communication. Unless you’ve been given permission by the district director, regional director, or Director-General, it’s not permissible for people to speak directly on issues,” he explained on Hot Issues on TV3.
Mr. Baro emphasised that these constraints have contributed to the reluctance of heads of schools to openly address pressing challenges, impacting transparency and effective resolution of issues in the education sector.