“We must admit that we were shocked and dumbfounded to have heared the unsavory and unprintable words used against the President by these girls to the extent that we wondered if our fine societal morals have suddenly vanished. We wish to vehemently condemn the act and conduct of the students in no uncertain terms.

“In fact, just as we were about to issue a statement to plead for clemency on the harsh decision of the Ghana Education Service (GES), His Excellency the President directed that the GES should consider an alternative punishment instead of a dismissal. We wish to commend and thank H.E excellency the president of the republic for exhibiting the highest sense of leadership in the matter of the eight (8) students of the Chiana SHS in the Upper East Region.”

They said in as much as they commend the President for the fatherly intervention, “we want to condemn the act of the said SHS girls. As we know, in our Ghanaian culture, it’s an act of gross misconduct and disrespect on the part of children to insult adults or the elderly in our society. It’s even more grievous and reprehensible to insult the President of Ghana, who is the first gentleman of the land. We are not in any way condoning the conduct or act of the eight (8) students, we condemn it in all uncertainty terms, we are of the confirm believe and conviction that such act should not be tolerated and we welcome any punishment that is punitive enough to serve as deterrent to others, but we consider the outright dismissal as harsh and concrete because that could have a long psychological effect on them and their parents.”

They continued, “It is against this background that we commend the president for the timely intervention. The president is a lawyer and a celebrated human right activist so he is familiar that the right to education is a fundamental human right of every Ghanaian which rights can only be denied or taken away on the grounds of exceptional circumstances which borders on crimes. when it comes children and juveniles, the emphasis is on reformation rather than punishment.

See the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560) and Juvenile Justice Act, 2003 (Act 653). As the saying goes you don’t throw away the baby with the bathwater.”

“While we are by this press statement calling on the Ghana Education Service(GES) to heed to the intervention directives and suggestion of the President to initiate an alternative punishment rather than dismissal, we want to use this occasion to call on the GES, the Child Rights International and  all other  stakeholders within the educational ecosystem, to as a matter of priority, provide free counselling services to these affected student.

“It is important to note that the act of the students is a reflection of the broken system we have. How will politicians sit on national radio and TV and insult their political opponent, these kids could have taken mentorship lessons from those politicians who have made it a ritual of insulting political opponents. This goes to confirm the saying that if the chief of the town comes home with a weird haircut, what do you expect his subjects to do,” the group stated.

He said the girls would have been flogged openly in other jurisdictions for insulting the president.

“Honestly, these girls are damn lucky. In other jurisdictions, they would have been flogged publicly. What nonsense!! You joke with insulting the President & making it public? Ah! Ah! Ah! I guess we must thank President Akufo-Addo for having a kind heart to forgive them. Thanks Prez,” Mr Anyidoho tweeted.

Honestly, these girls are damn lucky. In other jurisdictions, they wld have been flogged publicly. What nonsense!! U joke with insulting the President & making it public? Ah! Ah! Ah! I guess we must thank President Akufo-Addo for having a kind heart to forgive them.Thanks Prez? pic.twitter.com/OrRsm7lc3c

— Samuel Koku Anyidoho?? (@KokuAnyidoho) January 14, 2023

“We are happy and grateful to the President for the intervention and all stakeholders who brought this to the attention of the President,” Mr Inusah Hamidu, a guardian of one of the dismissed students told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Chiana.

Eight girls in their final year were summarily dismissed by the Ghana Education Service on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, for insulting and using unprintable words on the President in a viral video in November 2022.

The affected girls and their parents and other members of the public urged the President to have mercy on them and restore their right to education.

As a result, the Ministry of Education, in a statement signed by Mr Kwasi Kwarteng, Spokesperson of the Ministry and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Friday, said the President has intervened and asked for alternative punishment for the affected students.

“The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has intervened in the above subject after his attention was drawn to it.

“Consequently, the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has directed the Ghana Education Service to consider an alternative disciplinary action instead of dismissal,” the statement said.

Mr Hamidu said although the alternative disciplinary action was unknown, he believed the stakeholders involved would comply with the President’s directive and allow the girls to return to school.

He said the intervention of the President was a big relief to them and expressed optimism that it would enable the girls to be able to prepare for their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Mr Hamidu noted that in as much as there was the need for parents and guardians to chastise the girls for the bad behaviour exhibited, they needed to also provide counselling and advice to the girls to enable them to stay focused in school.

He said, “we are a humble family of practicing Muslims and we would not want any of our children to go out there and insult the elderly especially not mere person than the President, so, we have advised her and she is more reserved and quiet and I know other parents have equally done same, so we are praying that they will call them back and they will stay focus to write their exams and come back home.”

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Meanwhile, Madam Anne Estella Kye-eebo, Upper East Acting Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service, noted that a stakeholder meeting would be held on the way forward.

“The President is the father of all, and he has spoken, so there is nothing I can do than to obey. Besides, I am a mother, and they are my children, and we all want the development of the region, but it is not only my decision to take, but we must also meet the stakeholders involved to know what to do,” she added.

GES in a release signed by the Head of Public Relations Unit, Cassandra Twum Ampofo, noted that the School’s Disciplinary Committee is to explore alternative sanctions for the students.

“The affected students were dismissed based on a recommendation from the School’s Disciplinary Committee. Thus, Management has referred the matter to the School’s Disciplinary Committee to explore alternative sanctions other than dismissal,” part of the release reads.

In the meantime, the affected students are to report to the Headmistress of the School for further directions, according to the GES.

Below is the full statement:

The Ministry of Education (GES) has explained why some eight female students of the Chiana Senior High School in the Kassena-Nankana West District in the Upper East Region were dismissed.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Kwasi Kwarteng, disclosed that the girls were dismissed because throughout the disciplinary process, “they did not show any sign of remorse.”

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Friday, he said the Ghana Education Service (GES) implemented the decision made by the school’s disciplinary committee.

Mr Kwarteng stated that even opinion leaders in the community who were also involved were all in favour of the dismissal because of the demeanor of the girls when they appeared before the disciplinary committee.

The decision in the opinion of the GES, he stressed, was apt because it will serve as a deterrent to others.

Mr Kwarteng maintained that their action is contrary to the acceptable standards of the conduct generally required of any student in Ghana’s educational system.

“The main purpose this decision came is to serve as a deterrent to others and to prevent a chaotic situation in future,” he added.

Many, including child rights groups, are begging for clemency for the young girls who were dismissed by GES for making derogatory statements against President Nana Akufo-Addo.

This was after the eight who were all second-year students were seen in a video that went viral using vulgar and unprintable words on the President late last year.

Many have condemned their action in no uncertain terms but say the sanction from GES was harsh.

President Akufo-Addo has since intervened and has asked GES to consider alternative disciplinary action instead of dismissal.

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“The decision to dismiss the eight students for needless and unsavoury comments against President Nana Akufo-Addo is harsh considering these are children and they are in their final year with some few weeks to complete and look for their station in life,” the statement signed by the Convener of the Forum, A. Kwabena Brakopowers, said, Friday.

“The Accra Human Rights Forum International does not in any way support the utterances of the students in that viral video. It was not good enough, but authorities cannot also be harsh on the students at such a critical time in their lives,” he said.

The Service dismissed eight students of the Chiana Senior High School in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region for making derogatory comments against the President last year in a video that went viral on social media.

The video was roundly criticised by Ghanaians, leading to the suspension of the students from school.

However, the Service after what it described as an extensive investigation into the conduct of the students has directed the dismissal of the final-year students.

Although it has criticised the action of the students, the Accra Human Rights Forum International says the decision by the Service is tantamount to “using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”

“We believe the Ghana Education Service has the right to punish the students for their misconduct – and this is expected, but dismissing the final year students over this is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. This measure is too strong and harsh than it is expected and necessary to solve a problem or reform the students.”

“The Accra Human Rights Forum International believes an apology from the students after having served their suspension terms for the misconduct should be enough for authorities to be convinced that such behaviours will not be repeated in the future by anyone,” Mr Brakopowers said.

“We encourage the Ghana Education Service to reconsider its decision by recalling these students so they can write their final year exams to be able to move on in life. Let’s remember that the education of every Ghanaian girl and boy is a right and not a privilege,” he said.

In a statement on Thursday, the Minority said in as much as it condemns the conduct of the eight affected students, the decision by the GES to expel them is ‘harsh’ and ‘retrogressive’.

They, therefore, want the President to intervene to offer the students a second chance despite their despicable conduct.

According to the Minority, denying children access to education in this dispensation is an ‘absolute drawback’, hence their appeal.

“We are also by this statement, urging the GES to proffer an alternative but corrective punishment to the eight students.

“This we believe would be in the best interest of our collective goal to ensuring that every Ghanaian child has access to formal education.

“In conclusion, the Minority wishes to appeal to His Excellency the President, to use his good offices to pardon these students as he did in 2020 when a group of some students misconducted themselves towards him,” a portion of the statement read.

The Minority further condemned the decision of the GES and asked the service to review its decision in the interest of safeguarding the educational rights of the affected students.

Meanwhile, the dismissed Chiana SHS students have rendered unqualified apology to President Akufo-Addo.

The students have taken to their knees to apologise for the uncouth act which has brought their education to an abrupt end.

Amidst tears, they took turns to render an apology to President Akufo-Addo, the Education Office, their teachers and the entire citizenry.

“I’m here with my colleagues to beg the president, the headmaster, the Education Office and fellow Ghanaians. We are sorry for our videos that went viral; we didn’t mean for them to go viral it was a childish play and we didn’t mean it.

“Our education means a lot to us and we are on our knees that the President should call us back and we call on our teachers to join us to plead,” one of the students begged.

Another added, “I’m here to say sorry to the President for our video. I had no intention and I took it as a joke.”

The students had been on suspension after their video went viral in November 2022, and have now been handed their dismissal letters.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) in the dismissal letter explained that the students have been dismissed for conduct that is “very undesirable, and contrary to the acceptable standards of the conduct generally required of any student in the educational system of Ghana.”

The letter dated November 29, 2022, and signed by the GES Director General, Dr Eric Nkansah, asked that the guardians ensure that their wards hand over all school property to the school before leaving the school for good.

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Meanwhile, an aggrieved parent, Martin Akeleyiira, who has expressed reservations about the issue, has pleaded for the decision to be reversed.