The Upper East Regional Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has directed the headmaster of the Tempane Senior High School, to hand over the running of the school to the directorate with immediate effect.
The directive follows a visit by the Deputy National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the school last week.
Joshua Akamba is seen in a video inciting some students of the school against government’s free SHS policy.
[contextly_sidebar id=”kDTNtKcMYBr7562ubbNgPKSqeIcpSUVF”]He asked the students if they were experiencing issues with bedbugs in their dormitories as a result of congestion which has been occasioned by the free SHS policy, to which they responded in the affirmative.
He made the students show their bedbug bite scars to the cameras, and promised them their challenges would be over in 2020 if they vote out the NPP.
He got the students to hoot at the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
But in a letter sighted by citinewsroom.com, the directorate has asked the headmaster to make available a full report on the incident and hand over the running of the school to the Regional Directorate of Education for superintending over political campaigns in the school without approval.
“You are by this letter requested to submit a full report on the incident to my office for onward submission to the Director General of Education.”
“You are equally directed to hand over the running of the school to the Regional Director of Education pending conclusion of investigations into the incident”, the letter added.
Read the full content of the letter below
“It has come to the attention of the Ghana Education Service that on Wednesday, 3rd October, 2018, your school compound was turned into a political party campaign rally ground without authorization. You are however aware that under no circumstances should premises of any school be made available to any politician campaign purpose.
You are by this letter requested to submit a full report on the incident to my office for onward submission to the Director-General of Education.
You are equally directed to hand over the running of the school to the Regional Director of Education pending conclusion of investigations into the incident.”
GES warns against political activities in Senior High schools
The Ghana Education Service (GES), which has described the development “inciting students against President Nana Akufo -Addo and the Free SHS programme,” has asked political activists to refrain from campaigning in various secondary schools.
“Management of GES condemns such acts and wishes to bring to the attention of the general public, especially political activists that the Ghana Education Service is a non-political state agency with the key responsibility of implementing pre-tertiary educational policy of the country and wishes to remain as such.”
“Meanwhile, all regional and district directors of Education and Heads of SHS have been directed to ensure that schools and students are not used for political activities without authorization. Management wishes to assure parents and the general public that steps have been taken to ensure that students and school premises are immune from such unwarranted political interference.”
Although GES rules are clearly against political activities in all schools except tertiary institutions, the two main parties often break the rules.
NDC’s Akamba slammed for inciting students against Free SHS
The youth wing of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has since condemned the Deputy NDC National Organizer over the incident.
In a statement, the NPP indicated that the development was a “clear indication of the NDC’s vicious intentions for the free SHS Program.”
While calling on the GES to investigate the issue, the party’s youth wing also called for sanctions against authorities who allowed the incident to take place.
Police invite Akamba for inciting SHS students
Meanwhile, police in Garu in the Upper East Region, have invited Joshua Akamba for interrogation, following reports that he incited some students at the Tempane Senior High School against government’s free SHS policy.
Mr. Akamba confirmed this to Citi News in an interview, saying “the Police have asked that I should report at the Garu police station.”
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By: Nii Larte Lartey/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
