Gowrie Senior High PTA petition Minister

Bolgatanga (U.E), Nov. 12, GNA - Some parents and guardians of students, have petitioned the Upper East Regional Minister to institute a=

review of a Committee Report on riot at the Gowrie Senior High School. They described the school committee's report on the riot as unprofessional and replete with greed. The petition was jointly signed by the parents and guardians includi= ng Mr John Agingo and David .A. Ayine, Chairman and Secretary respectively o= f the appellants.

They condemned an emergency Parent and Teachers Association (PTA) meeting held on September 18, this year and said that the meeting should have laid bear the full details of the committee's report. Rather, they said the meeting asked students to pay GH¢20 for dama= ges and a sign bond to be of good behaviour. The concerned parents accused the chief of the community, district a= nd regional directors of education, the PTA chairman and the headmistress of=

the school as having some hidden motives in the matter.

They said there was the need to look into the composition of the committee since it did not solicit views from parents and guardians on an= y issue.

"The decision to dismiss twenty-five students including 18 boys and seven girls indefinitely was too harsh and should be rescinded," they add= ed. They said the students had lost most of their instructional time wh= ich was enough punishment for them since the school closed down the last time= .. The petition also asked the Regional Minister to step in to stop wha= t it described as the medieval punishments and refusal of food when student= s' health was involved, adding that a better forum was needed for parents an= d the school authorities to iron out issues for the way forward. 12 Nov. 10