8 more students sacked

Barely a week after five students were dismissed for occult pratices and sexual misconduct, another batch of eight final year students of the Okuapemman Secondary School (Okuass) at Akropong-Akwapim have been dismissed.

They were dismissed for causing riots and disturbances at a nearby Mount Sinai Secondary School in December last year.

The students, who have been on an indefinite suspension since last term were dismissed in March this year upon the recommendation of the School's Board of Governors.

They are Nana Yaw Ofei, Folley Dadzie, Mathew Koranteng, Kwame Adorn Nketia, Kwabena Kwapong Yirenkyi, Kwasi Brown, Samuel Ntreh and George Adofo Danso, all final year students.

A letter addressed to the parents dated April 11, 2007 signed by the Headmaster, E. Ofosu Boateng, read in part: "We write to inform you that, the indefinite suspension imposed on your ward per our letter number )SI SF:5676 date January 9, 2007 has been transmuted into dismissal."

But a parent of one of the dismissed students has questioned the basis of the dismissal of his ward from the school and had petitioned the Ghana Education Service to investigate the matter.

E. Gyamti Boaten, contended that, the dismissal of his ward, Kwame Adorn Nketia, lacked objectivity since the headmaster compromised his position before the dismissal.

Mr. Boaten said a letter from the school signed by the headmaster, E. Ofosu Boateng, dated January 9, 2007 that imposed the indefinite suspension on his ward said "Nketia had already signed to a bond to be of good behaviour for an earlier offence committed and therefore to have involved himself in the alleged disturbances and riots required the sanction."

However, he said, his ward denied having ever been made to sign any bond in the school or he (the parent) witnessing the signing of the said bond and more so when the headmaster could not produce documentary evidence of the bond on the student's file.

He said that, while he agrees that his ward's conduct was inappropriate "it is an act of indiscipline and the school authorities should have banded down a punishment not as harsh as one that would jeopardize his future."

He complained that after waiting for six weeks on the receipt of the indefinite suspension letter, he petitioned the Ghana Education Service (GES) through the Director of Secondary Education with copies to the Director-General and Chairman of the GES Council reporting the conduct of the headmaster.

"Without hearing from GES, the school authorities had gone ahead and dismissed my ward", he lamented.

Mr. Boaten expressed his unhappiness about the display of photographs of the affected students on the school's notice board which he described as portraying them as "criminals."

When contacted, the GES Director-General, Samuel Bannerman-Mensah confirmed receiving the petition and said it had been referred 10 the Director of Secondary Education to investigate.

When he was reached for comments the headmaster, Mr. Boateng confirmed that indeed Nketia was among the eight final year students dismissed from the school for breaking bounds and going to another school to cause riots and disturbances.

He, however, admitted that Nketia had actually not signed any bond to be of good behaviour and that what was recorded against him by the Disciplinary Committee was wrong and described it as an administrative mistake.

Source: The Ghanaian Times