The Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr. Kofi Sarfo Kantanka, has justified the appointment of Mr. Seth Boadu Kwakye as substantive Headmaster of the Saint Jerome Catholic Senior High School (SHS) at Abofour in the Offinso South Municipality of the Ashanti Region. He told The Chronicle that Mr. Boadu Kwakye qualifies for the position, and has, since October 1, 2014, been appointed the substantive Headmaster of the school. The position of the headmaster for St. Jerome SHS had been vacant since May 2014, until it was filled with Mr. Boadu Kwakye in October last year.

As a result, there has been discontent among both the teaching and non-teaching staff of Saint Jerome Senior High School (SHS), following the alleged rejection of three persons, namely, Ms Regina Edusei, Mr. Samuel Twumasi-Ankrah and Mr. Stephen Manu, who were recommended for the headship position by the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi.

The Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr. Kofi Safo Kantanka, in an interview, said Mr. Boadu Kwakye was appointed as the substantive Headmaster of the school, per the directives of the Ghana Education Service (GES).

He disclosed that a person applying for the position of headmaster of an SHS, must be a Deputy Director of Education, not be more than 55 years of age, and has less than five years to retire, as well as pass a headship interview. He said, going by the GES criteria, all the three who applied and were recommended by the Catholic Archdiocese for the headship position did not qualify.

The Regional Director disclosed that while Samuel Twumasi-Ankrah and Regina Edusei were Assistant Director I, in terms of rank, Stephen Manu was a Deputy Director who had not attended a headship interview, and even had three years to retire from active service.

Mr. Kantanka said Boadu Kwakye, who is the current Headmaster of St. Jerome, was among the 15 Deputy Directors who had been on the 2014 pass list for headship positions, and that while ten of them had been posted to head various Senior High schools, Mr. Boadu Kwakye was yet to be appointed among the then remaining five.

He reiterated that he had no personal interest in Mr. Baodu Kwakye’s appointment, neither did he have any sinister motive against the Catholic Church, and was prepared to transfer him (Boadu Kwakye) if the Catholic Church presented a qualified person.

“Mr. Boadu Kwakye would be transferred and replaced accordingly, if the Catholics present a qualified person today, I will transfer Seth Boadu Kwakye from St Jerome and replace him accordingly. I have no ill motive against the school and the church. It is only that the three who applied and were recommended did not qualify per the GES standard for headship appointment,” he stated.

The Most Rev. Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye, Catholic Archbishop of Kumasi, addressing a press conference in Kumasi recently, expressed concern about the appointment of a Presbyterian to head the St. Jerome SHS at Abofour.

The Catholic Prelate had alleged that the Regional Director of Education had done the appointment without any consultation with the Catholic Church, which established the school, when the Church had proposed three names already for the same position.

The Most Rev. Gabriel Justice Anokye had called on the GES to uphold the spirit of partnership in its capacity as the implementer of state policy on education.