General News of Friday, 12 May 2006

Source: GNA

Mpraeso Secondary School to be investigated

Mpraeso (E/R), May 12, GNA - The Ghana Education Service (GES) in collaboration with the Kwahu South District Assembly, has set up a seven-member committee to investigate media and public allegations of indiscipline, poor academic performance and financial malpractices at Mpraeso Secondary School (MPASS).

The committee, which is being chaired by the Presiding Member of the Kwahu South District Assembly, Lt. Col Alex Owusu-Dwamena (rtd), has representatives from the GES headquarters, the Parent-Teacher-Association, the Board of Directors, Old Students Association, the District GES Directorate and Rt. Rev. Alfonse Amanor, a Psychotherapist. The committee has two weeks to submit its report.

The Kwahu South District Director of Education, Mr James Nii Okaidjia Dinsey, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency at Mpraeso on Friday.

He said following recent media allegations and public outcry of the fallen standards and indiscipline, which has led to poor academic achievement and financial malpractices in the school, the GES ordered the setting up of the committee to investigate those allegations to ascertain the truth.

Mr Nii Okaidjia appealed to individual students and the general public with concrete evidence to assist the committee to come out with credible report to ensure discipline and improved academic standards in the school.

It would be recalled that, in February this year, twelve final year students, mostly females, who left the school compound without authority to sleep with their male guests at a hotel, were dismissed by the school authorities, while Saint Peter's Secondary School at Nkwatia was also closed down with all the students sent home due to students demonstration against the school authorities.