Schools are meant to be centres of learning where children are taught to read, write and prepare for the future. They are not places where pupils are expected to move from house to house seeking money from relatives, friends, neighbours and members of the public.
Yet that is exactly what is happening at ALMS Preparatory School at Amormorle, in the Ga North Municipality, in the Greater Accra Region, where pupils have been handed contribution cards and tasked with collecting money in a competition that promises free school fees to the child who raises the highest amount.
A copy of the card sighted by The Chronicle, shows spaces for contributors to write their names, indicate the amount donated and append their signatures.
The card further states that the overall winner will enjoy free school fees for the first term of the 2026/2027 academic year.
The exercise, dubbed the “Icon Contest,” has triggered concern among some parents and residents who believe children are being turned into money collectors in a contest where victory depends not on academic performance, discipline or talent, but on how much cash a pupil can bring in.
Some parents argue that the arrangement effectively places children in competition against one another, with those from wealthier and better-connected families enjoying a natural advantage over pupils whose parents may not have the same financial reach.
The development also raises a troubling question: What lesson is a school teaching when children are rewarded not for excellence in the classroom but for their ability to solicit money from the public?
In an interview with The Chronicle, the Headmaster of ALMS Preparatory School, Mr. Waisu Issaka, defended the initiative and insisted that participation is voluntary.
Mr. Issaka explained that the initiative was introduced to assist learners who face challenges of paying their school fees, arguing that the contest provided an opportunity for such pupils to receive support.
The headmaster explained that the pupil who raises the highest amount would be rewarded with free school fees. He further argued that other participants would also receive benefits.
“Anyone at all who took part in the contest is going to get something, they will never go free, because everybody has contributed will get something. That is why we are giving the opportunity for everyone to register”, he said.
Mr. Issaka also maintained that participation in the programme is based on choice. Asked whether the exercise was a new initiative, the headmaster responded: “I am not the first person to do it. This is not the first time we are doing this. We have done it before.”
However, the explanation is unlikely to quiet critics who believe schools should not be placing children in situations where they must seek financial contributions from members of the public.
The controversy has also generated questions about how much money is expected to be collected through the exercise, how many pupils are participating and whether educational institutions should be encouraging children to engage in organised money-collection schemes.
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