The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah has scolded the Ghana Education Service (GES) for its decision to dismiss eight students of the Chiana SHS for insulting president Akufo-Addo.
Mr. Braimah called on the president to call on GES to reverse the decision which he says has the ability to destroy the lives of the affected students.
He described the decision as senseless and admonished the president to consider the dismissed students as his grandchildren and intercede on their behalf.
Mr. Braimah tweeted: “Dear President Akufo-Addo, I urge you to ask the GES to immediately reverse that senseless decision to end the education of the 8 Chiana SHS girls who used abusive words against you. Certainly, the girls’ action is condemnable not only because you are the President, but also because you are old enough to be their grandfather. I doubt they can abuse their own parents that way. And their conduct should have their parents thinking deeply about their own failures as parents. But truncating their education, cannot be an option as punishment.”
GES in a statement signed by the Director General, Dr. Eric Nkansah directed that the students be dismissed after investigations.
The Ghana Education Service apologized to the president for the students’ misconduct and promised it would launch investigations into the incident.
Mr. Braimah further stressed that punishments are supposed to be reformative and not as destructive as the one the GES has handed to these eight students.
“What the kids need is reforms, not destruction and there certainly could be a reformative punishment rather than this destructive punishment. If the punishment was meant to please you, just let the DG of GES know you cannot be pleased by a punishment that destroys rather than reforms the lives of young students whose misconduct may have been motivated by youthful exuberance. Mr. President, just let GES reverse the decision immediately.”
