The Ghana Education Service (GES), yesterday interdicted the headmistress of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Senior High School (SHS), Felicia Asamoah Dankwaa.
According to a statement issued in Accra and signed by the head of Public Relations of the GES, Ms Cassandra Twum–Ampofo, Madam Dankwaa has been directed to hand over to the administration of the school to the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, while management of GES investigates the circumstances leading to the demise of a final year student on Tuesday, 7th July, 2020.
The interdiction followed the demise of a final year student of the school which led to students demonstrating and rioting.
The riot which according to the students was in protest against what they described as, “Ill treatment meted out to a colleague student who fell sick and died” saw them smash louvre blades and glass notice boards.
The riotous students also invaded the dining hall and poured out the porridge served for breakfast on the day.
But, for the timely intervention of the police, the situation could have gotten out of hand.
The students alleged that their deceased mate was abandoned by the school’s authority for close to about three hours until his father was invited to convey him to the hospital where he died, on Monday.
Samuel Leonard was said to have complained of a severe stomach pain but for fear that he might have contracted COVID-19, authorities distanced themselves from him leading to his death.
The Ghanaian Times gathered that the late Leonard, was a final year Business student of the school.
He was originally a day student but had to relocate to the boarding house upon the partial re-opening of SHS to prepare final year students for their upcoming West Africa Senior Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
It was gathered from students that he was a known ulcer patient and that his parents had earlier made that known to the school authorities when he was relocating to the boarding house.
According to the students, the late Leonard complained of stomach ache on Monday, July 6,2020, and had to be attended to after which the pain reduced.
However, he complained of excruciating stomach pains after school lunch at about 2.30pm and was sent to the dormitory to relax.
Not long after that, the pain became more severe but the school authorities had to call the father to convey him to the hospital after 5pm but could not survive.
It was upon the breakout of the news on campus that the students became highly agitated and poured out to demonstrate till Tuesday morning amid vandalism.
The students called for the substitution of their headmistress, Madam Felicia Asamoah Dankwah who is barely two years as head of the school.
They were, however, divided as to whether the school should be closed down.
While one group insisted that they would stay to complete their WASSCE, another group was calling for a closedown to enable them to go home.
Despite the agitation, the students though wore their face masks, could not observe the social distancing protocol.
There Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Madam Mary Owusu Afriyie and the Oforikrom Municipal Chief Executive, Madam Mary Gambrah, earlier went to interact with the key staff of the school to better understand the situation and also chart the way forward.
As at the time of filing the report there was an ongoing emergency meeting behind closed doors.
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI
