GHANASCO headmaster explains how come students sleep in ‘toilets’, denies conversion into dormitories

The headmaster of Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in the northern regional capital of Tamale has vehemently denied reports that the authorities of the school have converted a toilet facility into a residential block for students.

In a video sighted by GhanaWeb, Douglas Haruna Yakubu maintained that the school has excess capacity to admit more students into its boarding facilities.

Addressing the originator of the video, he stated: "What he saw, which I want to use the word advisedly, he was told to see, is that these buildings which were constructed by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah in the 60s have some attachments; toilet facilities. But I tell you, that right from the late 70’s these toilet facilities have not been used as toilets.

“Myself, I am an old boy and I left here in 1983. The same place that he took those pictures, I was sitting there learning. We used to carry tables and chairs to [those places], candidates just like isolated places so sometimes as they go, they carry their mattress to go and lie there.

"You can’t come and dramatize these things in our school and say that we have converted, did I ever tell you that we have converted a toilet facility into a dormitory? It’s not possible so please, it is not true. I am getting angry,” the headmaster said.

His statement follows the publication of a viral video on social media where some students of the school were seen purportedly using a number of toilet spaces as sleeping places.

The video shows student mattresses and chop boxes spread across the toilet cubicles.

But speaking to the media on Monday, Mr Yakubu refuted assertions that the school had converted toilet facilities into student accommodation.



“In this school, we are running the transitional track system where some students are home, others are in school and the purpose of this is to ensure that we have accommodation in both boarding house and then the classroom.

"So, we have enough [accommodation space], so as we sit, we can even admit more day students into our boarding house. How can we convert toilet facilities into dormitories? We have more than enough,” he emphasized.



Meanwhile, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has asked the Headmaster and Senior House Master of the school to step aside while an investigation is conducted into the matter.



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