President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has admonished the Ghana Education Service to give some 14 Senior High School students who were barred from writing the ongoing West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination the opportunity to sit for the exams.
In the view of the President, though the acts if indiscipline demonstrated by the candidates are unacceptable and intolerable, the students, just like everyone else deserve a second chance.
“The President believes that everyone deserves a second chance in life, and is, thus, hopeful that the students will be allowed by the GES to take their final examinations as scheduled,” a statement from the presidency said.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) on Friday August 7, 2020 announced the dismissal of14 students for indiscipline in the ongoing West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The affected students were effectively barred from writing their remaining papers over various acts of vandalism, verbal attacks on the President and assault at their various schools.
The action of the GES sparked some mixed reactions with stakeholders in the education sector including the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) welcoming the decision, while others described it as harsh and high handed.
However, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in a reaction to the development has directed the Minister for Education to engage the Ghana Education Service to reconsider its decision to ban to the 14 students.
“Even though the acts of indiscipline undertaken by these students are intolerable, acts which have led to their subsequent dismissal from school, President Akufo-Addo is of the firm view that dismissal alone is enough punishment, and will serve as enough deterrent against acts of indiscipline,” the statement noted.
