Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, the Member of Parliament for Builsa South, avers the Ghana Education Service’s (GES) decision to interdict the headteacher of the Ghana Senior High School in Tamale, over a washroom turned into an accommodation facility for students, was rushed.
His comment follows a viral video, where some of the students of GHANASCO were seen using washroom cubicles as dormitories.
Douglas Haruna Yakubu, the headmaster and Senior Housemaster, by the GES, were asked to step aside for further investigations to be carried out into the matter by the Regional Director of Education.
In an interview today, Dr. Apaak, who is calling for a probe, said the GES should have taken its time to probe the matter at the regional level before rushing to ask the headmaster and the senior housemaster to step down. He claimed that after the investigation has ended, the truth will be laid bare.
“I think that the decision to ask the headmaster and the senior housemaster to step aside, was a bit rushed. I don’t think that was the way to go. The initial assessment could have been done by the regional director, on the basis of that and then a decision could have been made, whether they were culpable in one way or the other, to warrant them being asked to step aside.
“The issue of inadequate space, is one that cannot be discounted…Even as we wait for the investigations. What is adequate space? That should be factored into this conversation, the investigations will reveal all these. Well, I have no doubt that accommodation is a challenge, as far as our SHS’s are concerned.”
Dr. Clement Abas Apaak
Asked about his take on the headmaster’s reaction that the story was concocted, the Ranking Member of the Education Committee of Parliament indicated, “well, that is his rendition? I have seen a press release that there’s going to be an investigation, I believe that the truth will come out. This phenomenon where spaces that ought not to serve as abode for students are being used by students, is not limited to what we are seeing in GHANASCO.”
Ghanasco Headmaster Claims Students Do Not Sleep In Toilets And Viral Video Was Staged
Doughlas Haruna Yakubu, Headmaster of the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) labelled the viral video, in which some students are seen sleeping in supposed toilet cubicles, as mischievous and a deliberate misrepresentation of facts.
Mr. Yakubu believes that the viral videos were staged and dramatized by a journalist, with motives of denting the image of the school. He added that the school has adequate space to accommodate more students and does not need to convert toilet facilities into dormitories, for students.
“That facility has been there for so many years, it has never been a dormitory or a storage room. It is a store, more or less. In the 60’s, when Kwame Nkrumah built the rooms, they were washrooms. And so, they still have the design of washrooms. But the facility has not been modernized, so they are just small-small cubicles. And that is where we keep our chop boxes, when students are traveling.”
Doughlas Haruna Yakubu
In an interview, the headmaster iterated “They are never sleeping places…these materials that you see, might have been taken from the dormitory for him [journalist] to cover his videos and leave. Those cubicles are so tiny and so hot that students cannot live in them. We have enough space, so this is not fair.”
He revealed that the school has six toilet facilities to cater for the entire male student population.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) on Sunday, launched an investigation into a viral video showing the students using toilet cubicles as dormitories. The said video caused an outrage on social media and raised concerns about the safety and well-being of the students, under the free SHS policy.
According to the GES, the school has excess capacity to house an additional 300 students, yet some students are forced to sleep in such unacceptable conditions. The investigation is expected to be completed within two weeks, and the Headmaster and Senior Housemaster, will be required to report back on the findings.
In a statement released by the management, they expressed their commitment to ensuring that students are provided with a safe school environment and assured all stakeholders and the general public that they would continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of their students.
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