Concerned Private School Proprietors in Ashanti Region have called on government to support private schools with stimulus package to save private schools from collapsing.
Government in collaboration with the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), Business & Trade Associations and selected Commercial and Rural Banks, supported micro, small and medium scale businesses with soft loan scheme up to a total of six hundred million cedis (GH¢600 million), which will have a one-year moratorium and two-year repayment period
The loan is part of government’s stimulus package earmarked to make lives and businesses better under the Covid-19 pandemic.
The President of Concerned Private Schools who doubles as proprietress for Little Angels Academy Madam Diana Paintil in an interview with Pure FM’s Osei Kwadwo said the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the growth of Private Schools in the country.
According to Madam Diana Paintil, Private Schools Proprietors are going through difficulties after government locked down the country.
“Despite the closure of schools by government, private schools proprietors still have to pay their workers especially the teachers. Our situation is very disheartening because even parents who owe us are not ready to pay because of the closure of schools. We owe our workers and we are afraid they won’t come back when government open schools” Madam Paintil explained.
“We are appealing to government to support us with stimulus package and also come up with policies that would build the capacities of private schools. Private schools are collapsing which will be a sad news for this country if it happens”.
The Proprietress for Royal Eagle Academy Mrs Grace Amankwaa Ansere commenting on government decision to open schools for Form 2 students said the decision will not favour private schools.
“Government decision to open schools for Form 2 students will add more salt to our wounds and it will collapse more private schools. When the forms 2 students come back to school, all our teachers have to come back to the classroom to teach but proprietors will get money from only the few form 2 students to run the school and pay all the workers” Mr Ansere explained.
She however appealed to government to support private schools with stimulus package and also open school for form 1 and 2 students instead of only form 2.
“We are ready to enforce the students to adhere to Covid-19 protocols if government opens schools for both form 1 and 2”.
Meanwhile Private School Teacher Mr Emmanuel Enchill speaking on behalf of Concerned Private Schools Teachers expressed worry about hardship private school teachers are going through due to closure of schools following the surfacing of Covid-19 in Ghana.
“Our Proprietors cannot pay us because of the closure of schools. Life has become difficult for us even sometimes to get three meals a day is problem for us. Some are facing divorce because of financial challenges” Mr Enchill said.
He appealed to government to address the concerns of Private Schools Proprietors saying collapsing of private schools will increase unemployment rate in the country.
