Guidelines to cease the operation or Close down a Private School in Ghana

Guidelines to cease the operation of a Private School in Ghana

Deciding to cease the operation of a school requires some level of critical evaluation of the decision before any further action is taken.

Consequently, if a Proprietor at any point finds it necessary to close or cease operation of his/her school that is licensed by the National School Inspectorate Authority ( NaSIA) , it is required that due statutory processes, requirements, and responsibilities associated with the process to cease operation are adhered to.

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Step 1: The Proprietor must complete and submit the Notice of Intent to Cease Operation (NoIC) Form with a Transition plan.

The Transition Plan of the school must detail the reasons to cease operations and how learners will be migrated to a new school.

To ensure a smooth transition, the applicant must also submit the academic records of all learners, including Continuous Assessment Forms, Transcripts, and Tuition refund plans (if any). This application must be submitted at least one academic year before the intended date of closure.

The submission of this application is meant to inform NaSIA of the Proprietor’s intention and does not attract any fee.

Step 2: NaSIA reviews the submitted NoIC Form and transition plan for appropriateness.

Step 3: NaSIA constitutes an Inspection Panel (IP) to conduct an Investigative Inspection to gather more facts about the school, its current state, and the community it serves. IP communicates their findings in an official report to the Inspector-General of Schools (IGS).

Step 4: NaSIA conducts an interview for the School Proprietor with the licensing sub-committee to discuss details of the application, submitted transition plan, and the Investigative Inspection report. The School Proprietor is to come along with at least one copy of the submitted transition plan.

Step 5: NaSIA communicates its decision to the School Proprietor after the interview through an official letter within two (2) weeks.

In the case where NaSIA is satisfied, NaSIA issues an Approval Letter to approve the application and the Transition plan to be implemented.

However, if NaSIA is not satisfied, a Letter with Recommendations is issued for the School Proprietor to work on before an Approval Letter can be issued. The Approval Letter will be valid for the period specified in the letter.

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Step 6: The proprietor implements the action items on the transition plan approved by NaSIA without any modification.

In instances where circumstances require a change in the transition plan, the School Proprietor must officially write to NaSIA to seek approval indicating the reason(s) for the change.

To ensure that the School Proprietor conforms to the agreed transition plan, NaSIA monitors its implementation by requiring the submission of a bi-monthly progress report to the Authority. NaSIA may also embark on a Compliance Inspection.

Step 7: After full implementation of the transition plan, NaSIA shall revoke the License of the school and advertise in front of the school “THIS FACILITY CEASES TO BE A SCHOOL” for the next six (6) months.

Step 8: NaSIA reports the school’s closure to the Minister of Education and consequently publishes it on NaSIA’s website. The school will then be declared officially closed.

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