Editorial
Addressing school authorities -students relationship important
Dear Editor
The behaviour of the Assistant Headmaster of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Senior High School who was recently dismissed by the Ghana Education Service (GES) for fondling a female student should serve as a wake up call for stakeholders in our education sector.
Although I find what transpired between him and the student that was captured on video unfortunate, I am of the view that the decision taken by the GES was a good one.
However, I believe that the incident that led to the dismissal of the Assistant Headmaster is one of many of such incidents that happens in our junior and senior high schools and have not been taken notice of.
There are instances where some female students complain about issues such as sexual harassment by their teachers and headmasters but no action had been taken.
My question then is, for how long should we wait for videos of such incidents to go viral before an action is taken?
I think it is about time that the GES collaborates with key stakeholders in the educational sector, including Parents Teacher Associations (PTA), school authorities, and civil society organisations to address such issues.
It will be important for appropriate measures such as strict monitoring of the relationship between students and school authorities.
Secondly, young learners must be empowered to report such incidents to school authorities. Sometimes, they go unreported because the children fear they might be victimised.
Establishing these kind of measures would not only help address the issue but also protect the mental health of students who suffer from these harassment from their teachers and school authorities or even seniors.
Instead, the headmistress/headmasters and teachers should advise the children on why they were in the school first.
Raising the children is first and foremost a key responsibility of parents but we also understand that these children spends more time in the school environment than the home, except the weekends.
That places a huge responsibility on them as trained teachers to help in shaping the lives of these learners.
Abraham Moore,
Ekumfi
Dear Editor,
It is often said that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. However, this saying becomes worrying when the health of citizens is threatened by the conditions under which the food they consume daily is sold.
In Ghana, the conditions under which food is sold is quite disturbing. Over the years, I have observed that the environments where food is prepared and sold are often unhygienic.
In many cases, containers holding food such as rice and waakye are left uncovered or not properly covered, exposing them to contamination.
While many Ghanaians paid little attention in the past to the conditions under which food was sold, the narrative seems to be changing in recent years.
I recall an incident during my days in Senior High School (S.H.S.) when my friends and I went out to buy food. At one location, some of us chose not to buy because we assumed the food would be expensive due to how neat the place looked.
Unfortunately, we ended up purchasing food from a different place that was somewhat unhygienic. We overlooked the poor conditions because we believed the quantity offered was better than at the cleaner location.
However, I am certain that my friends and I would not repeat such a mistake today, as we now understand the health implications of that decision.
While public education is important in addressing this issue, I believe it is time for regulatory and law enforcement agencies, such as the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), to crack the whip on food sellers and vendors who operate in unhygienic environments and conditions.
As citizens, we must also be mindful of where we buy our food to protect ourselves and our families from diseases and illnesses. We should choose ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’ and prioritize our health.
From Syram
Oyarifa
Dear Editor,
I write to express concern and call for improved security measures before and after every football match.
The recent robbery attack that led to the tragic death of a player, on their return from a Match day 29 game against Samartex, is both shocking and heartbreaking.
The incident, which reportedly occurred around 10:30 p.m., highlights the growing risks faced by players and team officials while traveling.
Football is meant to unite and entertain, not to expose lives to danger. It is therefore imperative that authorities, the Ghana Football Association, and security agencies put in place adequate protection for teams, especially during late-night travels.
I strongly urge all stakeholders to treat this matter with urgency to prevent such unfortunate incidents from recurring.
From Eugene Ampiaw
Accra
