South Dayi Member of Parliament in the Volta Region, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has raised concerns about what he describes as the excessive list of items required from students entering Senior High School (SHS), saying the cost places a significant financial burden on parents and, in many cases, Members of Parliament.
In a post on X, the MP questioned whether newly admitted SHS students genuinely need to report to school with the extensive range of items contained in some school prospectuses.
“Honestly, must a fresh SHS student present all these listed items to school as a freshman or woman?”
Mr. Dafeamekpor said the “heavily-laden but compulsory prospectus” had become a major concern for parents, with MPs frequently expected to provide financial assistance to families to meet the requirements.
The list he highlighted includes items ranging from mattresses, chop boxes, buckets, toiletries, plates and cutlery to school-specific clothing, bedding, mosquito nets, electric irons, raincoats, sewing kits and other personal effects.
For general boarding requirements, students are expected to provide items such as a mattress and pillow, hard-body suitcase or small plastic chop box, bucket, towels, bathing and washing soap, detergent, toilet rolls, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, mirror and comb.
Other requirements include plates and bowls, drinking cups, water bottles, cutlery, napkins, lunch boxes, sweaters, black shoes, bathroom slippers, an electric iron, a Bible or Quran, sportswear, socks, raincoats or umbrellas, mosquito nets, blankets and bedsheets.
Students are also required to have handkerchiefs, torchlights with batteries, sewing kits, permanent markers and school-specific preparation or “prep” wear.
The prospectus also contains separate requirements for female and male boarders.
Female students are expected to provide items including a white dress for church, a dozen panties and black undershorts, a black underskirt and white chemise, nightgowns, sanitary pads, black pleated skirts and African print cloth known as Akyekere Ekyir.
Male students, meanwhile, are expected to provide white long-sleeved shirts and trousers for church, singlets, boxer shorts, a blue-black flying tie, pyjamas, sleeping cloth and a full piece of African print cloth.
The prospectus further instructs students to have their personal belongings embossed or embroidered with their names, using blue or white thread.
Mr. Dafeamekpor argued that the extensive requirements contribute to the financial pressures facing families at the beginning of the SHS journey.
He said the burden is often transferred to Members of Parliament, who are called upon to support constituents who struggle to purchase the required items.
His concerns have reignited discussions about the affordability of SHS education and whether all items contained in school prospectuses should be compulsory for newly admitted students.
The MP’s comments come as families across the country prepare to send newly admitted students to various Senior High Schools, with parents expected to meet the requirements of individual institutions before students report.
