In just under 12 months, two senior high school students in Accra have lost their lives to fatal stabbing, raising concerns about safety lapses in students' safety as well as supervision.

The first tragedy occurred on September 2, 2024, at the O’Reilly Senior High School.

Edward Borketey Sackey, a final-year student, was allegedly fatally stabbed by his classmate, Godwin, following a heated argument over whose father was wealthier.

The incident unfolded shortly after students had completed an examination

Edward was stabbed three times in the chest and died at LEKMA Hospital despite efforts to save him.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) immediately launched an investigation, and the suspect was arrested and placed in police custody.

The incident stirred debate over moral discipline and the growing intensity of interpersonal conflicts among students.

The second incident occurred on July 31, 2025. Addib Alhassan, a 15-year-old first-year student, was stabbed during a classroom altercation.

He was rushed to the Adabraka Polyclinic and later transferred to Ridge Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The news triggered immediate unrest on campus.

Angry youth stormed the school grounds, demanding justice and accountability.

The Member of Parliament for the Klottey Korle, Dr Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings, visited the school and condemned the violence.

She urged a comprehensive review of safety and disciplinary structures within schools.

Though occurring in different settings, both cases share distressing similarities of young students fatally harmed during school hours by peers, driven by impulsive disputes.

In each case, school authorities and the police were forced to respond swiftly, but only after irreversible loss.

These two-timed tragedies expose the fragility of discipline and safety in many of the senior high schools across the country.

They also raise concerns over the psychological and emotional well-being of students in an era of growing school enrollment, peer pressure, and the limitations of overburdened guidance systems.

JKB/EB

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