Gowrie (U/E), Nov. 9, GNA - Mrs Agnes Atagabe, the Upper East Regional Director of Education, has announced the closure of the Gowrie Senior High Technical following rioting by the students. The students have been on hunger strike since Thursday in solidarity with 18 of their colleagues who were identified as ring leaders and handed indefinite suspension. The suspended students were alleged to have organized the riot in July and led it but their colleagues are saying it was a collective action.

Mrs Atagabe said this when Mr Albert Abongo, the Member of Parliament for Bongo, Mr Clement Akugre, the Bongo District Chief Executive, the District Director of Education, the Chief of Gowrie and some parents went to the school to announce the closure. She said the directorate was about to implement the nine- member committee's report on the disturbances that recommended that the Headmistress be moved to her duty post bungalow, the transfer of four staff of the school including its secretary and a driver.

Mrs Atagabe said the report also recommended that a refund be made by the school to a Gowrie/Wales Partnership Coordinator on expenses made from his own resources whilst a bank account should be opened for the operation of the partnership which is an exchange programme between the school and Wales.

She said efforts by the Regional Directorate of the GES, the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo and his Deputy, Mrs Lucy Awuni, to let the suspended students go home whilst their case was looked into proved futile.

The students' reason was that they had lost contact hours when the school was last closed down.

Mrs Atagabe said the students rioted again and deflated the tyres of the headmistress's car that led to the police being invited to restore order in the school. She said since students were refusing to eat meals prepared for them and refusing to attend classes there was the need to close down the school.

The report by the Director infuriated the students who threw stones that resulted in two police officers getting injured.