The Tempane Saga, An Old Student’s Perspective

I have tried as much possible not to put ink on paper about the rather repugnant issues concerning my alma mata; Tempane Senior High School because of the political twist that the Ghanaian publics has added to the discourse and I feared to be tagged to a political party because of the views I am about to share and reveal to the true Ghanaians, thus the patriotic and true democratic centered unbiased Ghanaian.

But as I watch the events unfold, I could not hold my horses, again because of my love for God and Country and hate for ill partisan politics at the detriment of Ghana’s development and largely of the African continent that I have decided to add my voice to dialogue by virtue of my democratic obligation.

First to begin with, Mr. Joshua Akamba Deputy National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was captured in a widely circulated video interacting with a section of female students, right in front of their dormitory and inciting these students to say distressing things to the current President of the republic and the Member of Parliament for the Tempane Constituency.

Akamba’s act was followed with a call by the National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP ), Henry Nana Boakye and other party faithfuls condemning the act and calling on the Ghana Education Service to crack the whip as well as civil societies and all well-meaning Ghanaians to equally condemn the act by the aspiring National Organiser of the main opposition party.

The public opinion court began its hiring at all corners of the country from class rooms to the pito spot , from the bed room to the fueling station, what was being proclaimed ? Nothing new, as usual, political lenses where armed to draw hasty conclusions, which became more intense when the news of the suspension of the headmaster flooded both mainstream and social media space, then the mediocrity continued.

The mediocrity of this is not new. They did it sometime ago. Why will something be good yesterday but bad today? Why is free speech being challenged? Do you know the state of the school? Why should the headmaster that was not on campus be the one to be blamed? These are some questions asked by the public, surprisingly from reputable people such as Hon Inusah Fuseini and Mr. Franklin Kudjo of policy think tank Imani Africa, an undisputed legal brain Ghana has at its disposal and a fine advocate respectively. But the greatest of all per my standard is the stands by the former President His excellency John Dramani Mahama which he was recorded to have said at a meeting with students at the University of Development Studies (UDS). The former first gentleman said that he allowed the NPP to campaign during the electioneering period prior to election 2016 at various senior high schools and that there are students at the senior high schools that are above 18 years and hence they should be allowed to be campaigned to at school.

STATE OF THE SCHOOL
Tempane Senior High School is seen as the underdog that does not hide its little teeth, with very little infrastructure as at the year I completed, the school has earned a name for itself during it early established stage as an academic heavy weight, the school has also distinguish itself as the best in the Upper East Region as the producer of orators through its debating conquers. Temsec as it is affectionately called has always had issues concerning infrastructure since I stepped foot in to it as a first year student, its location has made it more opened to all persons since the main road that connects the then district capital Garu to some villages and also to Sankasi a trading center in nearby Togo passes through the schools compound which has not been properly fenced. The very dormitory Mr. Akamba was videoed in that rather shameful act as a father is the first dormitory I stayed in during my first year in 2011, the dormitory which as at 2014 was turned into a female abode was bizarrely called “Free Exit” because of its close location to the road which passes through the school and hence given students the opportunity to leave the school compound whenever they desire.

Students at Tempane still use a “double track system ” when entering the dining hall because of its small size, with no assembly hall, as a matter of fact the girls are housed in a compound houses structure and some living in buildings meant to be used as class rooms. The compound house I am told was constructed by Ghana’s current ambassador to the Vatican and former Member of Parliament for the Tempane Constituency, Hon. Joseph Akudibila, while the main modern class room block and the boys dormitory where constructed under the John Kufuor’s administration through the efforts of the then Upper East Regional Minister, Hon Allhasan Samari. The school received its boarding status under the administration of the late President John Evans Atta Mills. A girl’s dormitory building contract was awarded during the John Mahama administration which began but has gone on recess since the coming into being of the Nana Addo administration.

This few knowledge shows how far both political divide have tried supporting the only senior high school in the then Garu-Tempane District now Tempane District, but the current state of the schools clearly shows that it has long being left to its faith and more needs to be done.

So what Akamba was complaining about has always being the case during the NDC’s administration and still continues today in that of the NPP’s administration and hence does not warrant that undesirable act, ill politics will not help, the truth is best, both parties in my view have failed Tempane Senior High School and hence no need for the name calling and inciting students to insult and name call elders, one which our northern culture does not permit. I ask the question, would Akamba instruct his own children of the same age group to do same as he instructed the young school girls at Tempane, if not, the parents of those students and the entire Ghanaian populace demands an apology from Mr. Joshua Akamba.

FREE SPEECH
I read a facebook post by Mr. Franklin Kudjo which suggested that the democratic principle of free speech has being belittled by the suspension of the headmaster of the school. His post indicated that whatever was said between Mr. Akamba and the students was clearly an exhibition of free speech which I believe he got it wrong, just as I believe until we as Africans reconstruct the democracy we inherited from the West we will hardly walk a mile on the journey of civilization not as goods but as travelers.

The act of disrespect for the elderly has no place in free speech in our African context; we cannot succumb totally to what globalization brings to us while leaving behind our rich cultural values and practices. How in God's name shall a person influencing young children to practice acts of impunity be equated to free speech and the effects of such acts being overlooked? When we overlook the little bad effects these acts will have on us in the future. We shall soon need think oceans to help in national discourse not think tanks. Imani Think Tank I believe got things wrong this time round, they have been instrumental in shaping our democracy but this time their fundamentals are weak.

PARTISAN POLITICS ON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS
The former President, John Mahama has made known that partisan politics should be allowed at high schools, Yes I can confirm that. As a past students of Tempane Senior High School I have observed on three occasions the two dominant political party members and presidential candidates visiting the school and practically campaigning on campus during the heat towards the 2012 elections. The then President and Presidential candidate of the NDC was at the school on two occasions selling his better Ghana Agenda message with his “eddy be k)k)” slogan while the current President and then NPP flagberar Nana Akufu Addo came also on one occasion also with his free SHS message and “We are moving forward” slogan.

So, this act of campaigning on SHS campuses is not new, but should that prevent the GES from doing what is being done now; holding school authorities accountable for any breach of their code of conduct? We as Ghanaians have always cried out that the laws should work, government agencies should wake up, yet if they do so we begin to raise allegations, with funny hash tags; #Istandwith…

I sympathize with the current headmaster of the school for being the unlucky one, the spin settled on. During my years at Tempane senior high school were the above incidents occurred, the school was on the watch of a now retired headmaster. The suspended headmaster, I am well informed is a reformer who has brought a lot of progress to the school, improving academic performance and discipline which were key problems during my years as a student. It is therefore disheartening that a politician has caused a mess at his school which he as the captain of the school must answer to.

Per the Director General of the Ghana Education Service his suspension is to allow investigations, that I believe will establish his innocence and he be reinstated as soon as possible to continue his good works. Other school heads should take cue from the current happenings and obey their code of conducts while also making sure they exercise their sole mandate of educating and building good and responsible students for mother Ghana.

The debate about some students being 18years and above but are still at senior high schools which gives rise to the need for politicians to engage them on partisan political activities on SHS campuses to me does not hold water and is dead on arrival. Schools such as the pre- universities are primarily for learning and teaching, the infuriation of partisan politics will only create enmity between the students and affect negatively their academic performance. The politicization of every sector in Ghana has reached its pinnacle; there is no need for more politicization.

Any political party that wishes to engage students at the senior high level who have attained the voting age can do so when the students are outside the schools learning environment. We cannot allow our future ones to fall pray of ill politicking at that stage of their education and more importantly on their leaning environment.

The NPP and NDC should not always determine our pathway as a country, we, the people of Ghana must rise above our political colors and speak in one accord proclaiming a Ghana beyond ill partisan politics, the politics of pull them down so we can take over no matter what.

GOD BLESS OUR HOMELAND GHANA. GOD BLESS TEMSEC
Alexander Naaga Bombande
(0247991719)