Old Ghanascans (Old Students of Ghana Senior High School) Association (OGA) and Parents Association of the School have said the Headmaster of the school did not convert toilets to dormitories for students.
This was in a joint statement issued by OGA and Parents Association of the School after a meeting to deliberate on the matter.
The statement said ‘ long before the Headmaster assumed office on the 1st of November, 2022, the alleged toilet cubicles had ceased to be toilets and were used by members of Cabral and Gbanzaba Houses as box rooms and also a store room for keeping the working tools of the Houses.’
It said ‘The Old Students recount that some of their colleague students, who were seniors isolated to that facility for the purposes of observing their private studies and assumed that those mattresses found in the video footage cannot be concluded that the facility is officially designated as a dormitory.’
It said ‘This historical fact can be confirmed by Old Students of Ghanasco, who completed between the periods of 1978 and now.’
It said ‘The old students again noted that the toilet seaters were removed as far back as the late 70s and the drains of the facility were sealed off with mortar just to prevent students from using it as toilets.’
The statement said ‘The Parents Association indicated in the joint meeting that during a recent meeting held in January, 2023 no complaint of inadequate dormitories was received from the School Management or any parent, especially regarding the use of toilet cubicles as dormitories.’
It said ‘These two Associations observed that even though the school is challenged with toilet facilities and acute water shortage within the Kukuo enclave, steps are being considered by these two key stakeholders to remedy these challenges.’
It said ‘The news of the conversion of the toilet into dormitories has not only negatively affected the image of the school, but also led to the unfortunate interdiction of the hardworking Headmaster and his Senior House Master.’
The statement said ‘This unprovoked and malicious reportage has indeed affected the morale of the entire community of Ghanasco particularly students, who are preparing to write their final year examinations this year.’
It said ‘In our estimation, the reporter was just not ethical but also unprofessional regarding this particular story.’
‘We, therefore, unreservedly condemn his actions and call on him to retract and render an unqualified apology to the entire Ghanasco community not excluding the School Management, Old Students, Parent Association, students, staff, and the entire Kukuo Community.’
It said ‘We, therefore, praise the swift response of the Minister of Education for directing the Ghana Education Service to act within the shortest possible time to deal with the reportage by forming a fact-finding Committee to deal with the matter.’
Source: Ghana News Agency