The Ministry of Education has expressed deep sorrow over the tragic death of seven Lawra Senior High School (SHS) students who drowned in a canoe accident on Saturday, June 14, on the Black Volta.
The deceased were part of a 10-member cadet corps who were on a routine morning jogging exercise.
A statement signed by Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Clement Apaak, confirmed that the students attempted to cross the river near Dikpe on the Ghana–Burkina Faso border when the canoe capsized.
The statement noted that Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Ernest Davis, to convene an emergency meeting with the Regional and District Directors of Education and the headmaster of Lawra SHS to investigate the incident and report back immediately.
Following a briefing from the Upper West Regional Minister, Akamugri Donatus Atanga, and the Member of Parliament for Lawra, Bede Ziedeng, the Ministry confirmed that three of the students were rescued while seven drowned.
“The bodies of the seven students who lost their lives—five girls and two boys—have since been retrieved by teams from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Ghana Police Service, and the Ghana Education Service,” the statement added.
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