On our front page today, we have carried a disturbing story about ALMS Preparatory School’s “Icon Contest,” an initiative that requires pupils to carry contribution cards and solicit money from relatives, friends, neighbours and members of the public in exchange for the opportunity to win free school fees and other rewards.
According to the report, the pupil who raises the highest amount of money is rewarded with free school fees for a term, while other participants are expected to receive benefits based on the amounts they collect.
Defending the programme, the Headmaster, Mr. Waisu Issaka, maintained that participation is voluntary and argued that the initiative was introduced to help learners who struggle to pay school fees.
But while the intention may appear noble, the method is deeply flawed. The Chronicle believes schools exist to educate children, not to transform them into agents for collecting money from the public. A child’s place is in the classroom, on the playground, or in supervised educational activities, not moving from house to house seeking contributions.
The issue before us is not whether participation is compulsory. The issue is whether children should be involved in such activities at all.
For decades, Ghana has sought to discourage begging and related practices. The Beggars and Destitute Act, 1969 (NLCD 392) criminalises begging and even prohibits encouraging another person to engage in begging. While the circumstances surrounding organised school collections may differ from traditional street begging, the spirit behind the law is clear: society should discourage the practice of sending people out to seek money from others.
What makes this development particularly troubling is that the individuals being sent out are children. Children are among the most vulnerable members of society. Every day, parents are warned about the dangers facing their sons and daughters. Children are taught not to follow strangers, not to enter unfamiliar environments and not to place themselves in situations that may compromise their safety.
Yet this context appears to encourage pupils to do the exact opposite. A child carrying a contribution card may be required to approach strangers, visit unfamiliar homes, knock on doors or interact with individuals whose intentions are unknown. Whether an incident occurs is not the point. Child protection is about preventing risk before harm occurs.
According to UNICEF, millions of children around the world continue to face violence, exploitation and abuse, while child protection remains a critical responsibility for governments, communities and institutions. In Ghana, UNICEF has repeatedly highlighted the need to safeguard children from exploitation, violence and other forms of harm.
Schools, more than any other institution, should be leading that effort. The programme also raises serious questions about fairness. Educational success should be determined by academic effort, discipline, leadership, creativity and talent not by a child’s ability to raise money. A pupil from a wealthy family with extensive social connections will naturally enjoy advantages that a child from a struggling household may never have.
Ironically, a contest purportedly designed to assist needy pupils may end up favouring those with greater access to financial resources and social networks.
The explanation that “other schools do it” is equally unconvincing. Wrong practices do not become acceptable simply because they are widespread. History is full of examples of harmful practices that persisted because people accepted them as normal. The fact that a practice may be common is not evidence that it is right.
This is why the Ghana Education Service (GES) cannot afford to remain silent. The GES must clarify whether it considers it appropriate for schools to send pupils into communities to solicit money from the public. If there are no guidelines governing such activities, then the time has come to develop them. Child welfare, dignity and safety must remain paramount in every educational policy and programme.
There are countless ways to support struggling learners. Schools can establish scholarship schemes, seek assistance from alumni, partner with corporate organisations, engage philanthropists or organise fundraising activities led by adults.
What they should not do is to place children at the centre of money-collection exercises. Children are sent to school to learn.
They are not sent there to beg. The sooner this distinction is firmly upheld, the safer our children and stronger our education system will be.
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