MoE directs GES to rescind dismissal of Chiana SHS students

The Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has directed the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to recall 8 female students of Chiana SHS it dismissed for insulting President Akufo-Addo in the 2022 academic year.

The directive for the ‘insulting’ students to be given the chance to continue their education comes after His Excellency Nana Addo intervened in the above subject matter after his attention was drawn to the unfortunate incident.

“Consequently the Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has directed the Ghana Education Service to consider an alternative disciplinary action instead of dismissal,” a press release from the Office of the President stated.

Akufo-Addo’s intervention comes after the Minority in Parliament urged him to his good offices to pardon the sacked Chiana SHS students as he did in 2020 when a group of some students misconducted themselves towards him.

In a statement shared with AcademicWeek, the Minority said the sacking of the final year students has said the GES decision is against Article 25 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and also Goal (4) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“In this age and time when there is increased advocacy and a 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 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” it said in the statement.

Admitting that the conduct of the students of the Kassena Nankana West District-based Chiana SHS was bad, the Minority said” we wish to state that the decision by the Ghana Education Service to dismiss them is harsh and retrogressive.”

“Whereas the Minority is against the misconduct of the eight students and condemns the same, we wish to state that the decision by the GES to dismiss them is harsh and retrogressive,” the Caucus stated in a release copied to AcademicWeek.

The Minority in Parliament added that “It is in view of this, that we wish to call on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to review its decision and to ensure that the education of the victims is not truncated in this manner.