The Eastern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has ordered the immediate closure of Hark Mount Sinai Senior High School and Okuapeman Senior High School in the Akuapem North Municipality following violent clashes between students of the two schools that left properties destroyed, students injured, and a police officer wounded.
The decision was taken after the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, led a high-powered REGSEC delegation to the two schools on Wednesday to assess the situation and restore calm.
Students were directed to pack their belongings and leave the campuses by Wednesday afternoon, while security agencies commenced investigations into the violence.
The disturbances reportedly involved the exchange of stones between students, resulting in injuries and the burning and destruction of school property.
A Station Officer attached to the Akropong District Police Command was also reportedly injured while security personnel were attempting to bring the situation under control.
The Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Owusu Bempah, and the National Security Regional Liaison Officer, Francis Annor Dompreh, were among the officials who accompanied the Regional Minister.
The Eastern Regional Director of Education, Dr. Mrs. Ivy Owusu Asantewaa, and other education and security officials also formed part of the delegation.
Addressing the students, Madam Awatey expressed disappointment over the violence, warning that the conduct of the students was unacceptable and contrary to the government’s vision of preparing young people for responsible leadership.
“This is a very sad note. This is not what we are looking for from you,” she told the students. She reminded them that today’s students were tomorrow’s leaders and professionals, stressing that the country expected them to become responsible citizens.
“Our expectation as a government is that we are growing you up for the future so that one day, when we are not in, we’ll get a president among you, a minister among you, a teacher among you, a policeman among you, and a fire service person among you,” she said.
The Minister said the violence was particularly disturbing at a time when the government was investing in educational infrastructure to improve learning conditions and support the transition from the double-track system to single-track education.
“Now that the government is making sure we build the infrastructure that will take care of you so that the double track stops and we have a single track, this is what you have decided to do,” she stated.
“We are building a nation; we are not destroying a nation. We are resetting our schools and resetting you students too.”
Madam Awatey warned that students who participated in the violence would be identified through investigations and dealt with accordingly, adding that “those who started throwing the stones here, both here and Okuapeman, we are not going to allow you to go scot-free.”
She said although the government sympathized with the schools over the destruction, students should understand that deliberately destroying public property came with consequences.
“We sympathize with the whole school over the burning. Government will come and do it, but when you destroy it, we are not going to allow you to go scot-free,” she warned.
The minister directed the students to leave peacefully and return to their respective homes, cautioning them against wearing their school uniforms and engaging in further disturbances after leaving the campuses.
POLICE HUNTS RINGLEADERS
The Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Owusu Bempah, warned that the police would pursue and prosecute the students who masterminded or participated in the disturbances.
He said the police would not arrest the entire student population, but would use investigations to identify the ringleaders, stressing that the police will look for the ringleaders, and “it’s a promise from me: we will prosecute you”.
He warned students against taking the law into their own hands, particularly through mob action, stressing that deliberately attacking police officers was a criminal offense.
DCOP Bempah also cautioned students against regrouping after leaving the campuses or teaming up with outsiders to cause further disturbances as he challenged the two schools to channel their rivalry into academic and sporting competition instead of violence.
“The bragging rights should be about which school is best in academics, which school is best in sports, and which school is best at producing prominent people in society and not about which school can throw the most stones or which school is the most violent.”
‘GO HOME PEACEFULLY’
The Eastern Regional Director of Education, Dr. Mrs. Ivy Owusu Asantewaa, also directed the students to leave the schools peacefully and warned students against remaining around the school premises after the evacuation order.
“Everybody should leave and go home. Don’t be hovering around. The policemen are still on the grounds. Anyone who tries to misbehave, they will arrest you,” she cautioned.
She reminded them that education was not only about academic performance, but also about character development and responsible citizenship.
The temporary closure is expected to allow security agencies and education authorities to restore calm, assess the extent of the destruction, and identify persons who played leading roles in the disturbances.
For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z
