The mysterious deaths (KUMACA), which have triggered discomfort in the Ghanaian educational sector and beyond, could have a historical precedent; Information reaching The Chronicle indicates that the school suffered similar fate 43-years ago, when four teachers died in a roll, under mysterious circumstances.
Mr. K. Owuus-Akyaw, a former English teacher at the school, who confirm this to The Chronicle in a telephone interaction, revealed that four people, including three members of the teaching staff of the school, died mysterious in the 1973-1974 academic year.
He mentioned the deceased staff as Kwadwo Asamoah (Senior English teacher), Adu Boateng (Science teacher) and Mr. Sasu (Sports master).
The other death involved Mrs. Frimpong Manso, wife of a teacher, who was hit by a car against a school fence wall, where the woman was relaxing. The debris of the collapsed fence wall killed the woman instantly.
Mr. Owusu-Akyaw’s disclosure comes in the wake of growing mysterious deaths which have rocked the school since April, this year.
Yesterday, the total number of students reported to have died under such mysterious circumstances reached 11, after a female student lost her life at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) hospital, causing fear and panic across Ghana.
The former teacher and now the Director of the Center for National Culture (CNC) recounted that in 1973, Mr. Sanful was the headmaster, with Madam B. Bonsu as the Assistant Headmistress, who later became the headmistress of the school. He was emphatic that no student died whilst he was teaching in the school.
Reminiscing over the sad event, Mr. Owusu-Akyaw explained that when the tragedy happened, the husband of the woman killed by a car, who was a teacher, rushed to the scene to save his wife, but he couldn’t lift the heavy debris on his beloved wife, but before people came to his aid, his wife had already died.
Owusu-Akyaw, a known outstanding English teacher, who taught the likes of Dan Botwe, F.F. Anto, Nana Albert Osei Banahene (former Asamblyman of Nsuase Adum, Kumasi) and Mr. Kwabena Dappah Osiakwan among others indicated that the English master was buried in the Asutifi North of the Brong Ahafo Region and after his demise, he (Owusu-Akyaw) took over as English master, but resigned later.
The former teacher would not say he left the school because of the mystery deaths, but emphasized that: “Of course everyone was scared that someone might follow suit,” he noted that the mysterious demise of these people caused a scare in the school, with people reading spiritual meanings into it.
Owusu-Akyaw said: “I left Kumasi in the early 1970s, but the authorities feared that any teacher who comes in as an English teacher could pollute the students, so I taught the 1973-75 batch free of charge to sit for their General Certificate Examination (GCE), whilst I was at the center for national culture, formerly Ghana Natural Cultural Center.
Kumasi Academy (KUMACA) in the Ashanti region will be closed down today, November 7, 2017 following the multiple cases of ‘mysterious’ and alleged health-related deaths in the school, over the last eight months.
The students and staff of the school would have to be screened to make sure that none of them is infected, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, in conjunction with health officials has assured.
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