The Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) secretariat in the Upper East Region is extremely worried about the riots that have in recent times, plagued some TVET second cycle institutions in the region.
Left uncontrolled, the situation may metamorphose into a complex problem that would be unmanageable.
When the Deputy Regional TVET Director Mohammed Bukari spoke to A1 Radio’s Mark Smith today, he said the disruptions had reached the directorate and processes had begun to help understand the problem.
“We are bedevilled with so many student disturbances. It is becoming problematic for us because we just came out fresh and these are the problems we are encountering. However, it is not peculiar to only TVET schools. We need to bring our heads together and see what we can do to deal with the problem. It is behaviour which is not supposed to be tolerated.”
Mr. Bukari explained that some of the disturbances have been brought about by very trivial issues. He also admitted that some of the demonstrations led by students have been brought on because of the feeding situation in the schools.
It would also be recalled that 22 second-year students and five third-year students from Saint Bernadette’s Technical Institute in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of the Upper East Region were suspended indefinitely by the school’s principal, Miss Memuna Fuseini.
In a letter that was signed by the principal, it was claimed that on December 4, 2022, the students engaged in a riot that resulted in the destruction of school property and put the lives of the school’s staff at risk.
Their school was thus indefinitely shut down.
Additionally, students of the Bolgatanga Technical Institute engaged in some rowdy behaviour recently.
A recent desktop study conducted by the Upper East Regional Peace Council since 2014 has revealed that almost every public second cycle school in the region has reported at least one riot.
Between 2020 and 2023, riots were reported in Sandema Senior High School (SANSEC), St Bernadette Technical Institute in Navrongo, Fumbisi Agricultural SHS, Kongo Senior High School in the Nabdam District, Bawku Technical Institute, Bolgatanga Technical Institute, and Zebilla Senior High Technical. During this period, some of these schools have reported more than two riots.
These riots have resulted in the destruction of school and personal property, the loss of study time, and negative publicity for the schools involved and the region as a whole.
In 2019, following the closure of three Senior High Schools as a result of student riots and clashes, the then regional minister, Madam Tangoba Abayage, called for a crisis meeting with heads of schools to deliberate on measures to curb the phenomenon. Her successor, Stephen Yakubu, inherited the problem and expressed concern about the negative image that such riots were giving to the region.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
