District director places embargo on salaries of teachers

Bodwesango (Ash), Feb 10, GNA - Mr Twumasi Amponsah, the Adansi East District Director of Education, has directed that an embargo be placed on the February salaries of four teachers of the Bodwesango local authority Junior Secondary School (JSS) 'B' who had for the past one week deserted school.

The order followed the refusal of the teachers to return to school after the regent and Krontihene of the town, Nana Amponti Dwaah II, had, at a public forum last Friday guaranteed their safety.

The refusal of the teachers to go to school followed an attack on Mr Christian Bawuah, the assistant headteacher of the school by the town's youth about two weeks ago, for ordering the removal of part of the fence of a football park, the youth were constructing.

A reliable source in the town, who explained the source of the conflict to the Ghana News Agency at Bodwesango at the weekend, said the people in the process of fencing the park, which is very close to the school, extended the fence to one of the classroom pillars.

This resulted in an argument when the assistant headteacher asked them to stop the fencing until after school hours since the noise they were making was detracting the attention of the pupils.

The source said the youth obliged and returned later to find that the teacher had ordered the removal of part of the fence and this did not go down well with the youth so they attacked the assistant headteacher in the staff common room.

The source said, however, that at a public forum last Friday, Nana Dwaah sounded a strong warning to the people to stop any attack on the teachers and told them that since the School Management Committee (SMC) were there to handle any provocation by a teacher.

Efforts by the GNA to get the District Director of Education to comment on the issue proved futile but the source said he (district director) met the teachers and advised them to go back to school since the Regent had taken up the matter.

The GNA was told that in the meantime, a report had been made to the Bodwesango police, who were investigating the case and that two persons whose names were mentioned in connection with the case had fled the town.

It was further learnt that classes resumed last Friday with some teachers at the JSS 'A' with the headteacher of the JSS 'B' who is the only one left at the school had started teaching.