Azantilow SHTS authorities ordered to reopen school
The Upper East Regional Directorate of Education, Bright Lawoe, has directed the management of Azantilow Senior High Technical School (SHTS) to make the school accessible to students, who were asked to vacate the premises following skirmishes last week.
“All female students in years one and two, and the male students in year one will report on Thursday. All male students in year two and the prospective year three students will return next week, October 21, 2024,” he said.
The order followed a meeting held at Sandema, which recommended that the students be allowed to return to school to continue their academic work.
Mr Lawoe, who briefed the Ghanaian Times at Sandema after the meeting, said: “We have concluded that the students should come back to school on Thursday, October 17, 2024.”
He said that while a seven-member committee had been set up to unravel details of the standoff among students in a dormitory, teachers, especially the house masters, had been asked to closely monitor the students’ behaviour as they returned to school.
It can be recalled that Azantilow SHTS was plunged into violent disturbances last week, which was allegedly instigated by two students, who engaged in a fierce argument over an ‘illegally connected’ socket in the dormitory.
This escalated and resulted in tribal conflicts, with some students inflicting machete wounds on their colleagues.
Mr Lawoe told the Ghanaian Times that two students, who suffered major injuries were admitted to the Sandema District Hospital and have since been treated and discharged.
He said: “Almost half of the students had left the campus by the time I got there. After meeting with the Sandema District Security Committee (DISEC), I had to close down the school with immediate effect.”
Mr Lawoe lamented the impasse, saying it had clearly and seriously undermined the image of the school, and cautioned students to refrain from visiting mayhem on their colleagues.
He indicated that all male students had been asked to return to school with their parents or guardians, and that they would be required to sign a bond of good behaviour upon their return to campus.
FROM FRANCIS DABRE DABANG, SANDEMA
