Students End Hunger Strike

The Entire first and second year students of the Kwahu Ridge Senior High Technical School (KRISTECH) at Obo Kwahu in the Kwahu South District of the Eastern region who were sacked by the headmistress for rebelling against her are now back in school after staying at home for almost three weeks. The students were asked to report to school on October 21, following public outcry and agitation by parents after Daily Guide had brought the fate of the students to the attention of the public. The continuing students were however being asked to come to school with their parents to sign bonds of good behavior and not rise up against the head of the school again. The publication of Daily Guide forced the authorities of the school and the district Directorate of Education into a crisis meeting after which a committee of enquiry was set up to look into the matter and to help find a solution to it. Members of the committee of enquiry included the District director of education and his deputy, the chief of Obo, Nana Afari Oboagyan II, the assembly member of Obo, Yaw Ansong, the headmaster of St Pauls Senior High School at Kwahu Asakaraka, Mr Hiagbor and the chief of Kwahu Fodua, Nana Professor Agyakwa Frimpong III. Even though the students have reported to school, the committee is still working and is expected to meet the student leaders, the headmistress, the board chairman, and the PTA chairman, Dr. Alex Obeng who had been very vociferous on the issue, calling for the removal of the headmistress. The students boycotted dining hall for three consecutive days in protest against the headmistress, Anita Jackson whom they accused of neglecting their myriad of problems, despite the fact that they had informed her about the problems. The students had complained about unwholesome and poor quality of food being served at the dining hall, insufficient food, lack of a dormitory for boys, serious leakages at the girls dormitory and limited number of beds and mono desks. When Daily Guide visited the school, two days after the students were asked to report to school, enthusiasm among the few students who had reported was quite high. Investigations by the paper revealed that most the students who numbered about 600 had not reported because they were supposed to bring their parents to sign bonds to be of good behaviour and not to boycott food in the dining hall or agitate against the head of the school. The students were seen returning from the dining hall at the time of the visit and were happy to be at school to continue with their academic work. The paper also found out that teachers of the school were facing acute accommodation problems. Daily Guide learnt that past students of the school were gearing up to demonstrate against the headmistress for bringing the name of the school into disrepute and also ask her to account for her stewardship. Meanwhile, the chairman of the PTA, who has been deeply involved in the solution of the crisis, has petitioned the Minister of Education, Regional Minister and Directors of Education to change the headmistress of the school for peace to prevail in the school. The petition noted that the headmistress had collected a total of GH�13,500 as maintenance fee for the PTA bus, but had not accounted for the money. �She collected GH�20 and GH7.50 from each student for the provision of beds and mono desks respectively, but was yet to provide the beds and desks,� it added.