President Akufo-Addo has intervened in the punishment meted out to some eight girls of Chiana Senior High School, after his attention was drawn to it.
A press release issued by the Spokesperson of the Minister of Education, Kwasi Kwarteng, on Friday, January 13, 2023, revealed that the minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to, as a result, consider an alternative disciplinary action instead of dismissal.
“The President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has intervened in the above subject matter after his attention was drawn to it.”
Ministry of Education
The eight students were captured in a video that went viral on social media in November 2022 making disparaging remarks about the President.
Reacting to the video, the Ghana Education Service (GES) suspended the students after investigating the matter and upon conclusion dismissed the eight students of the Chiana Senior High School in the Upper East Region for insulting President Akufo-Addo.
The GES indicated that its investigation into the incident confirmed that the students used unsavory language against the President. It thus described the actions of the students as very undesirable, and contrary to the acceptable standards of the conduct generally required of any student in Ghana’s educational system.
The dismissal of these students generated mixed reactions from various stakeholders.
Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) backed the decision by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to dismiss the eight students. It reckoned that in as much as it sympathizes with the students, it supports the decision by authorities to dismiss them. It revealed that as stakeholders, schools must be allowed to discipline students in line with approved rules.
Stakeholders react to dismissal of eight Chiana students
Eduwatch noted that the continuous interference in school discipline has contributed to the growing indiscipline which is affecting effective teaching and learning in senior high schools in the country. It recommended to the students to appeal the decision if they consider it “unfair”.
Speaking on the issue, spokesperson of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Yaw Opoku Mensah, equally advised students to avoid any activity which may lead to an interruption in their education. He stated that students must take lessons from the actions taken against the eight students for their misconduct.
Mr. Opoku Mensah explained that the move to dismiss the students was because they had violated the acceptable standards of behavior by the Ghana Education Service.
Conversely, pressure group, OccupyGhana pleaded with the Ghana Education service to rescind its decision in dismissing the student. 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 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.
Complementing OccupyGhana’s argument, the minority in parliament 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.
Additionally, 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”.
