The Ghana Education Service (GES) has temporarily suspended the headmaster and senior housemaster of Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Tamale over a viral video that showed students of the school sleeping in a toilet facility turned into accommodation.
According to GES, the school turning a toilet into an accommodation facility is unacceptable since records indicate that the school is supposed to have excess accommodation capacity for 300 students.
In a statement issued on Sunday, April 16, 2023, the GES indicated that the headmaster and the housemaster have been suspended pending an investigation into the matter, which is expected to last two weeks.
“The attention of the Management of Ghana Education Service has been drawn to a viral video being circulated on social media showing some students of Ghana Senior High School, Tamale, using toilet cubicles as dormitories.
“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. 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 Headmaster and the Senior Housemaster have been directed to step aside to allow for further investigations into the matter by the Regional Director of Education and report back in two weeks,” parts of the statement read.
Background:
The Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr Clement Apaak, shared a video alleged to be a shot of a toilet facility of Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Tamale turned into a sleeping place for students.
The said video, which has been sighted by GhanaWeb, showed student mattresses, chop boxes, bags and other student materials in the toilet compartment of a washroom.
Some of the materials and the students could also be seen in the hallway of the washroom.
In another video shared by the MP, a form one student named Godlove confirmed that he is one of the students sleeping in the toilet-turned-dormitory due to a lack of student housing.
He said that the students have now resorted to open defecation, which has led to a health crisis in the school with students always falling sick.
“Since we come as year one’s, we have never been to a toilet to ease ourselves. Every time open defecation and people passing by see us.
“… we just sit at the back here to eat and the flies (from where we ease ourselves) will be disturbing us. Sometimes when the run is too much it blows the breeze here and the scent is unbearable.
“As am standing here, I was sick just last Friday … I was diagnosed with typhoid and malaria,” he narrated.
Godlove pleaded with authorities to come to their aid by helping put up structures they can at least use as toilets.
View the full statement issued by the GES plus video of the said toilet-turned-accommodation below:
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