The 13 riotous students who were banned from further taking part in the ongoing West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) will now be allowed to write the examinations after the Ghana Education Service (GES) reviewed its decision.
The review follows a directive by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the GES to engage and reconsider the earlier decision to pave way for the students to complete their examination.
A statement signed and issued in Accra yesterday by Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwa, Director-General, GES, said, all the 13 students were now permitted to write their WASSCE in their respective schools.
The GES, in an earlier statement, erroneously put the number of dismissed students at 14 when a teacher was included in the list but was later corrected in a subsequent release to bring the number to 13.
However, the decision on their dismissal has been upheld and were to leave the various school compounds immediately, it noted.
The statement said the students involved would only be allowed to school compounds to write their remaining papers under guardian escort and were to leave with their guardians immediately afterwards.
“All students of the schools where property were vandalised should be surcharged for the full cost of the damage with their results to be withheld till they had fully paid up the full cost of the items destroyed,” it stated.
The statement directed all that acts of vandalism and other criminal acts should be reported to the security agencies for further investigations.
President Akufo-Addo, in a statement on Sunday, argued that the expulsion of the final year students from their respective schools was adequate reprimand.
“Even though the acts of indiscipline undertaken by these students are intolerable acts which have led to their subsequent dismissal from school, President Akufo-Addo is of the firm view that dismissal is enough punishment, and will serve as enough deterrent against future acts of indiscipline.
“The President believes that everyone deserves a second chance in life, and, is, thus hopeful that students will be allowed by the GES to take their final examinations as scheduled,” the statement said.
It, however, said, all other punishment imposed by the relevant authorities should remain in place.
The GES on Friday, announced the dismissal and barring of the 13 final year Senior High School (SHS) students from continuing the ongoing WASSCE.
They are Nicholas Cobbinah, Kardimeil Suapim and John Kwofie of the Sekondi College; Simon Ameyibor (Senior Prefect) and Juliet Amoakowaa of the Tweneboah Koduah SHS.
Others are Emmanuel Ashiangmor, Peter Sissi, Ameka Nyamitse, Shadrack Dailtey and Alfred Attiso of the Battor SHS; Solomon Brako, Albert Agyekum and Robert Inkoom of the Juaben SHS.
They were involved in some pockets of riots in schools over social distancing protocols and questions that did not meet their expectations and resorted to the destruction of property in some of the schools.
Some others were filmed using offensive words on the President and circulated on social media.
Three teachers, including Thomas Anochie of Tweneboah Koduah SHS, Joseph Andoh of Sekondi College, and Evans Yeboah of the Kade Senior High and Technical School, are also under investigations for their alleged roles in the incidents.
BY TIMES REPORTER
