Agogo State SHS closed down after students rioting

The Agogo State Senior High School (SHS) has been closed down for one week, following students rioting on Sunday night.

The students embarked on a demonstration and vandalised school property running into thousands of Ghana cedis.

The stone-throwing students embarked on the destructive demonstration at the school’s premises at about 10 pm Graphic Online has gathered.

Their anger followed frequent interruption of electric power supply to the school, which they said has contributed to denying them water supply for five days.

For five days, there has not been power supply to the school and so the students said they have not been able to pump out water for use.

Some of them, especially the female students said they have not had baths for five days continuous, because of lack of power and water.

The school has a prepaid credit system, which management uses for electric power supply on campus.

According to the students, whereas their colleagues in other schools in the Agogo town, such as Collins SHS have regular power and water on their campus, theirs [Agogo State] was intermittent.

They, therefore, accused the school management of incompetence in the handling of their prepaid credit system and therefore went on the rampage.

It took the intervention of police personnel to prevent the students from causing extensive damage to the school’s properties and save lives as some staff of the school were attacked with stones.

Almost all street lights on the campus were shattered, the windshield and glasses of the school bus were smashed, about three air conditioners in separate offices were destroyed whilst the office of the assistant headmaster in charge of domestic, was also scattered.

The file room was not spared as student files were destroyed.

The guidance and counseling centre, classrooms, louver blades and the school keyboard were equally not spared.

Following that, the Ashanti Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mrs Mary Owusu Achiaw together with the Asante Akyem North District Police Commander visited the school Monday morning and announced the closure.

The one week closure is to allow space for the items destroyed to be repaired.

“As a result of the massive destruction… it has become necessary to close down the school,” the students were informed when they were assembled on Monday morning.

The Asante Akyem North District Director of Education, Mr Ernest Kwadwo Afari spoke on behalf of the Regional Director of GES.

Mr Afari said the closure has become a necessary option, "because all the street lights were destroyed and we will need time to fix them."

"You destroyed the plumbing installation on the compound here, we will need time to fix them. Electricity supply on campus has been disrupted and we will need time to fix them and all other things that you have destroyed, we need about three, four days to fix them and so it will not be prudent enough as you go about school activities."

"So you are going home to make way for repair for all the things that you destroyed," he said.

Mr Afari also said the students would be surcharged with the cost of all the items that have been destroyed and therefore asked them to inform their parents.

The students were given two hours to pack their stuff and leave campus.

Mr Afari said the police have initiated investigations and some students suspected to be the ringleaders have been arrested and are behind bars.

He said the authorities have planned a disciplinary action against all culprits.

Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh

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