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Music of Sunday, 22 December 2019

Source: yen.com.gh

We are not in the jungle - Old students of Ebenezer SHS jab Samini over discrimination claims

Old Students of Ebenezer Senior High School have responded to the recent decimation claims by Samini against the Headmaster of the school.

Previous reports by YEN.com.gh stated that the Ghanaian Dancehall legend recounted how the Headmaster of Ebenezer Senior High School at Dansoman prevented him from addressing students over his dreadlocks.

In a recent statement by Lloyd Evans, president of the schools’ Old Student Association, he questioned whether Samini received approval to meet the students after he sent a letter to the school’s authorities.

Lloyd Evans shaded Samini, stating that ''we are not living in a jungle'' for the musician to just walk to the school and interact with students.
He also questioned the subject of the musician’s meeting with the students.

Addressing the statement released by the Rastafari Council of Ghana asking the Ghana Education Service to call the Headmaster to order, the Old Student Association president said the statement doesn’t warrant his time despite the Council citing the Headmaster’s action as discriminatory.

YEN.com.gh sighted the statement after Zionfelix shared a post following its release.

Read full statement below:

It is very unfortunate that I have to step in to state my position with regards to the issue surrounding the Headmaster of Ebenezer SHS and Samini.

I am putting up this post as the President of the Ebenezer Old Students Association and more importantly as an individual old student.

In fact a lot have been said on the issue and I must first congratulate the Headmaster for keeping his silence all these while.

Some have insulted him with hash words (On other social media platforms) and others have equally praised him for his stand. But in all these events he has kept his quiet.

This shows a very high level of maturity. Under normal circumstances I would not have responded because I do not take matters on social media serious neither do I believe in them.

In any case if push comes to shove one will have to come out.

I have also read the message or the statement from the Rastafari Council of Ghana and the portions of the Constitution on Human Rights and Freedoms the council quoted. Very interesting.

Will however not go deep into the two documents because the two documents do not warrant my time but just to say that it is the right of the council to support Samini to lodge a complaint at the GES and CHRAJ. Nobody can take that away from them.

My Information was that Samini wrote to the school to address the students. Fair enough. Did he Samini receive any approval from the school authorities?. Was he given a date and time for that address? What was he coming to address the students on? Was the school administration ready for such an encounter with the students.

In what capacity was Samini coming to address the students? And more importantly what was the content of the address or the topic for discussions.

In all these nobody has answered these critical questions. The Headmaster has a responsibility to manage the school.

He has the right to take any decision in so far as the management of the school is concern. He does not take instructions from even old students neither does he take instructions from the general public to the extent that any Kofi, Ama and Yaw can walk into the school to address students.

The GES has vested that power and authority in him and in him only to run the school. The authority of the Headmaster cannot and I repeat cannot be challenged.

Samini cannot just walk to the school and demand to speak to the students. Is it because he is a dance hall artist and therefore must be given a red carpet treatment?

There are rules and regulations in every establishments and these rules are not just there for the fun of it but for an orderly behaviour and conduct for both internal and external public.

No individual or group of persons can just walk into an institution and demand that they be given the chance to talk to the people over there. This is never done anywhere. Whatever decision the headmaster took at that material time was just right, fit, proper and fair.

We must learn to go through protocols and not to be jumping the gun. We are not in the jungle.

At this point I will passionately appeal to all old students to desist from further discussions on this matter on any of the social media platforms.

Let us use our limited resources and time to see how best we can join forces to help the school. We have a lot to do and therefore we need not spend our time on attention seekers.

Thank You

Lloyd Evans President