Following the dismissal of eight students of the Chiana Senior High School, the Minority has asked the President to intervene.
The students allegedly made derogatory comments against the President and the free SHS policy in a video in 2022.
GES authorities at the time condemned their conduct in a statement, and apologized to the President on their behalf.
But after a probe, the GES Director General, Dr. Eric Nkansah on November 29, 2022, directed the students’ sacking.
The Ghana Education Service in a letter to one of the parents of one of the students, said her conduct was “considered very undesirable and contrary to the acceptable standards of conduct generally required of any student in our Educational system in Ghana.”
It advised the student to use the dismissal as “a major turning point to bring the desired change in her behaviour and attitude towards life.”
But the Minority in Parliament says the decision is “harsh and retrogressive.”
The Minority in a statement said although the students erred, their right to education should not be curtailed. The statement was signed by the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Education Committee, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe.
The statement said the right to education is guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution, hence GES must review the decision.
The Minority says although its against the conduct of the students and condemns it, the dismissal is “harsh and retrogressive.”
“In this age and time when there is increased advocacy and renewed focus on increasing access to education, any decision that takes a child away from the classroom can only be seen as an absolute drawback to this renewed focus and objective.”
“It is therefore, regrettable to learn of the decision of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to dismiss the eight female students of the Chiana SHS in the Kassena Nankana West District of the Upper East region for insulting the President of the Republic some months ago.”
The Minority pleaded with the President to intervene in the matter.
“We are also by this statement, urging the GES to proffer an alternative but corrective punishment to the eight students.
It says this would help the country achieve its goal of giving every child access to education.
They appealed to the President to pardon the students as he did in 2020 when a similar incident occurred.
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