School heads who turn away students over trunks, chop boxes risk sanctions – GES warns

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has issued a stern warning to Heads of Senior High and Senior High Technical Schools, cautioning them that they risk disciplinary action for denying admission to duly admitted students based on the type of trunk or chop box they bring to school. In a directive sent out on September 18, 2026, the GES emphasized that any Head who disregards this instruction will be held accountable under the Service’s regulations and laws.

The Regional Directors have been instructed to inform all Heads of Schools to cease the practice of turning away, refusing admission to, or denying accommodation to duly admitted students solely due to the container they use for personal belongings. This directive came after receiving reports from various sources indicating that some schools were refusing to house newly admitted students who arrived with metal trunks, wooden chop boxes, or other types of storage containers.

The GES pointed out that such practices could impose unnecessary financial burdens on parents and guardians who may not be able to afford alternative containers prescribed by individual schools. The Service stressed that all students admitted to boarding accommodation should be treated with fairness and accommodated irrespective of their economic circumstances or their parents' ability to purchase specific brands or types of personal effects.

However, the directive came with one condition: the container must be reasonably sized, safe, and should not pose any threat to the health, safety, or welfare of other students. Furthermore, the GES requested that every reported case of a duly admitted student being turned away or denied accommodation solely on the basis of a storage container be thoroughly investigated and reported to the Management.