The National Council of Parents-Teachers Associations, Ghana (NCPTA), has warned parents and guardians of newly placed senior high school students against paying GH¢1,617 to EduPack PGL for selected prospectus items, describing the arrangement as an alleged attempt to exploit parents.
The warning comes after the Ministry of Education released the 2026 senior high school placement results, with about 565,000 of the 620,000 candidates who sat the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) already placed in Senior High and T-VET institutions.
Speaking to LinkNews in Techiman on Thursday, September 10, NCPTA General Secretary Gapson Kofi Raphael said the association was concerned about messages being circulated through SMS, WhatsApp and other platforms directing first-year parents to make payments to EduPack PGL, also known as Prospectus Ghana Limited.
According to Mr Raphael, the messages ask parents to pay GH¢1,617 for items including a metal trunk or suitcase, plastic chop box, Macintosh mattress and Macintosh pillow, which are reportedly to be collected at the various SHS campuses.
He described the arrangement as “deception” and “extortion” and urged parents not to make any payments or purchase the items through EduPack PGL.
The NCPTA General Secretary said EduPack PGL was not recognised within the council’s structure, had not been approved by the association and did not represent the interests of parents.
He stressed that parents remained free to purchase items listed in their children’s school prospectuses from the open market, as has traditionally been the case.
“Every parent retains the full and unqualified liberty to purchase prospectus items on the open market as has always been the practice,” Mr Raphael said.
He argued that compelling parents to purchase prospectus items from a particular supplier at a fixed price on school premises amounted to the commercialisation of the admission process.
The NCPTA’s position follows a disclaimer by the Ghana Education Service (GES), which, according to the association, has distanced itself from EduPack PGL and stated that it had not sanctioned, directed or authorised parents to engage the company.
While commending the GES for issuing the disclaimer, the NCPTA said more concrete action was needed to prevent parents from being exploited.
The association is therefore calling on the GES to use its legal and administrative powers to warn or sanction any school head who permits what it considers unauthorised prospectus sales on school campuses.
It has also urged the GES to take legal action against EduPack PGL and any other entity allegedly using the GES name or logo to solicit payments from parents.
The NCPTA further called on Regional, District and School PTA executives to remain vigilant and report any attempts to enforce the alleged arrangement to the council and the GES.
Metro TV Online reports that it attempted to contact EduPack PGL for a response to the allegations but was unsuccessful.
The company has therefore not had an opportunity, through the attempted contact, to respond to the NCPTA’s allegations.
