15-year-old Sues Yaa Asantewaaa School

A 15-year old student of the Yaa Asantewaaa Secondary School has dragged the headmistress of the school and its board f governors to a Kumasi High Court for allegedly revoking her admission as a boarding student.

In her statement of claim, the teenager Richlove Gyasi is demanding two hundred and thirty million cedis in damages from both the headmistress and the board or governors for the alleged admission scandal.

Richlove who is bringing the action per her best friend Samuel Gyasi Fosu says she was admitted into Yaa Asantewaa Secondary School as a boarding student by an admission letter from the school on September 12 after her Basic Education Certificate Exams.

On the strength of the admission letter, Richlove says she paid 875,000 cedis as school fees in addition to some other payments as required by the school.

She however claims when she reported to school on September 28 as required by the admission letter, she was told by the headmistress of the school Mary-Bridget Ansong to come back to school on September 30 as a day student.

According to Richlove, when she reported to school on September 30, the headmistress again told her that her admission has been revoked.

Richlove thus wants damages of over two hundred million cedis from the headmistress and the school's board of governors for the incident.

She says the withdrawal of her admission without any hearing from her is an infraction on her constitutional right to education. She also maintains that there is no basis, either real or imagined for the decision to revoke her admission.

Richlove says the "unexplained and unjustifiable" dismissal has dealt a cruel blow to her life long ambition and dream of getting quality education.

Though she admits that the school can exercise its discretion in admitting students, which she did in her favour, it cannot be done in the manner done by them.

Richlove contends too that she could not have flouted any school rule as her admission was revoked only on her first day at school. She therefore maintains that the withdrawal of her admission is against the rules of natural justice and ought not to be countenanced by a law court.

Richlove in her statement of claim said she had done her best to write and pass the Basic Education Certificate Examination even when she lost her mother in the middle of her exams.