Correspondence from Western Region

Stakeholders of the Adiembra Senior High School in Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in the Western Region after a meeting have agreed that the 16 sacked students should be recalled with their parents and be made to sign an undertaking for good behaviour in order to complete their session.

Rev. Mrs. Elizabeth Akuoku, Metro Director of Education who made this known exclusively to GhanaWeb on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, explained that some students after reporting to the school went out but were cautioned because it was their first offence since reporting to school.

The whole school was, therefore, cautioned against going out following the safety measures to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic while in school.

However, some students later went to the rails despite the earlier caution and so some teachers were dispatched to go and get them, but the students fled upon seeing the teachers.

She said a roll call was then conducted after the morning prep and again in the afternoon so it was realised that some recalcitrant students had not returned to school.

Against this backdrop, they were sacked later and while on their way, they met some reporters and told a lie.

She debunked the assertion that students have not had access to potable water since reopening, hence their decision to fetch some at a standing pipe located a few metres from campus and queried, "why were they standing on the streets with their belongings instead of buckets if indeed they were going to fetch water as they claimed?"

Rev. Mrs Akuoku stated explicitly that no female student has been allowed to go outside the campus for water and other necessities as purported.

She, therefore, assured parents of the safety of their wards while on campus and called on them to advise their wards to be obedient to all the precautionary measures and all the facilities provided for a mutual benefit.

Sources said before the President announced the indefinite closure of all schools on Monday, March 16, as part of the COVID-19 containment measures, they had received twenty of the Veronica buckets and later had forty from the Government.

On the issue of accommodation, the school has a dormitory capacity of 900 but expects to receive about 1,498 of Form 2 Gold Track and final year students.

However, due to the accommodation deficit, some classrooms have been converted into dormitories to augment the existing ones so as to meet the required social distancing protocol.

Meanwhile, a dormitory has a maximum of 36 students now in a room with the ICT Block also being assigned as a holding centre should one show any symptoms of the disease while the taps were flowing with water.

Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis leads in Coronavirus positive cases in the Western Region with over 500 cases.