The Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament has recommended the establishment of a bi-partisan committee to further probe into the disturbances that occurred at the Islamic Senior High School in Kumasi.
This was contained in the Committee’s report on the investigation into the student’s protest at the Islamic SHS on Monday, June 13, 2022, over frequent accidents at the school’s frontage, during which the police used live bullets and tear gas to disperse the students who were protesting.
The Speaker of Parliament assigned members of the Committee to visit the Islamic SHS, the IGP, and the Ashanti Regional Police Command on June 14, 2022, to familiarize themselves with the incident and report to the House.
The report which was presented by the Chairman of the Committee, Ken Ohene Agyapong also called for the sanction of the Ashanti Regional Director of the Department of Urban Roads for failing to provide pedestrian crossing and speed ramps in front of the school.
The Committee also condemned the police handling of the situation and recommended an immediate provision of speed ramps.
“Ghana Police Service lacks the appropriate logistics to enable the Service to respond promptly to challenges of crowd control and the ability to avoid conflict of interest on its part in conducting fair investigations,” the report indicated.
According to Mr Agyapong, the Committee after a thorough deliberation concluded that the student population at the school was high and the existing amenities and infrastructure did not commensurate with the student population.
“With only seven resident teachers managing about 3,000 boarding students, creates a huge disparity which makes it difficult to maintain order on campus,” the report said.
Among its recommendations, the Committee urged the Ministry of Education to provide the school with more basic amenities such as classrooms, a big auditorium, dormitories, residential facilities for teachers, and well-equipped laboratories among others to address the challenge of the high student population in the school has brought.
Eva Frempon-Ntiamoah & Patience Anaadem, ISD
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