The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed that the Headmaster and the Senior Housemaster of Ghana Senior High School, in Tamale, step aside to allow for investigations into a viral video showing some students using toilet cubicles as dormitories.
The video ostensibly highlights the challenges in Ghanasco in the face of government’s flagship Free SHS Programme.
GES, which describes the video as “very disturbing and unfortunate”, observed that the Tamale-based SHS should rather have excess capacity to accommodate 300 extra students as it fell short of its enrolment target.
“This is very disturbing and unfortunate especially when records available to us indicate that, out of the 1790 vacancies declared by the school, only 1467 students have enrolled,” a press release issued by Head of the Public Relations Unit of GES Cassandra Twum Ampofo said.
“The school is expected to have excess capacity to even house extra 300 students. It is thus unacceptable to have students sleep in such a place.”
The Northern Region Director of Education has been tasked to investigate the matter and report back in two weeks.
“Management wishes to assure all our stakeholders and the general public that it will continue to ensure that the students entrusted in our care operate in a safe school environment.”