Pressure group, OccupyGhana, has called on the Ghana Education Service to reconsider its dismissal of eight students at the Chiana Senior High School in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region who were recorded on video, making derogatory comments against the President.
According to the group, it has noted with grave disquiet, press reports about a decision by the Ghana Education Service (GES), which directs the dismissal of eight students. It agreed that what the students did and said were “terrible and despicable, directed at anyone, let alone the person” who holds the high office of President.
The group indicated that the culture of the country and traditions frown upon such conduct. Therefore, it cannot fault the GES if it decides to discipline the errant students.
“While deterrence is a good aim of punishment, we should punish to rehabilitate and not destroy. We believe that some suspension with compulsory counselling for the students would be more effective than the dismissal. We respectfully urge the GES to reconsider its decision.”
OccupyGhana
OccupyGhana emphasized that Ghana is a liberal country with democracy at the forefront of its ruling and that requires the authorities to be tolerant and not completely overreact in situations like this. It explained that the same culture and traditions that frown upon the students’ conduct, still urges restraint in punishing such wrongs.
“It is in line with this spirit of forbearance and tolerance that the current President, then as Attorney-General, introduced in and shepherded through Parliament, a Bill that famously repealed several sections of the Criminal Offences Act that criminalised speech, including the then offence of ‘insulting the president’.”
OccupyGhana
OccupyGhana commended to the GES, the same spirit of tolerance and attitude of forbearance which exists in the democracy of the country. The pressure group reckoned that the students ought to face some disciplinary measures for their conduct, as dismissing them from school, which effectively terminates their education in the public schooling system, is extreme and does not commensurate to their wrong.
Minority appeals to President Akufo-Addo
Reacting to this, the minority in parliament has appealed to President Akufo-Addo to intervene in the dismissal of the eight students. The group contended that in this age and time when there is increased advocacy and renewed focus on increasing access to education any decision that takes a child away from the classroom can only be seen as an absolute drawback to the renewed focus and objective.
As a result, it urged the President to use his “good offices to pardon these students as he did in 2020 when a group of some students misconducted themselves towards him”.
“This we believe would be in the best interest of our collective goal to ensuring that every Ghanaian child has access to formal education.”
Minority
The minority noted that it is regrettable to learn of the decision of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to dismiss the eight female students of the Chiana SHS for insulting the President of the Republic some months ago.
Whereas the Minority is against the misconduct of the eight students, and condemns same, it stated that the decision by the GES to dismiss them is harsh and retrogressive.
“We believe the eight students like every other Ghanaian child deserve to be in school in line with Article 25 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and also Goal (4) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”
Minority
The minority in parliament equally called on the Ghana Education Service to review its decision and to ensure that the education of the victims is not truncated in this manner. It urged the GES to proffer an alternative but corrective punishment instead to the eight students.
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