Ministry condemns College riots

The Ministry of Education has condemned violent demonstrations by some College of Education students over a policy that allows them to re-sit examinations only once.

On Tuesday December 1, a demonstration against the policy by students of the Wesley College of Education in the Ashanti Region, turned violent after police charged on students, who had gathered in front of their dormitory to watch the demonstration.

At the Mampong Technical College of Education, a student was arrested after some school facilities were vandalised.

The violent protests led to temporary closure of the Mampong Technical College of Education Friday, and Akorerri College of Education, Monday.

Speaking to Class News Hour, the PRO of the Ministry of Education, Francis Gbadago said “as a Ministry, we condemn such acts by selected students across the country. We think that it is not appropriate, especially in this sense where they are potential teachers.”

Mr. Gbadago said the trainee teachers are supposed to go and teach children in the near future, therefore, in the Ministry’s view, if teachers or potential teachers are behaving “in this manner this time round, then we are at risk; we do not think that we are going to get quality teachers tomorrow”.

He expressed confidence in the security service that the violent characters within the students’ ranks will be brought to book.

The angry students want the University of Cape Coast, which oversees the school’s academic affairs, to give them further opportunity to rewrite papers they failed.

The students said some of their colleagues have been dismissed for simply failing their papers.