NGO calls for prosecution of headmaster for allegedly preventing students from writing WASSCE

Children's NGO, Child Rights International is pushing for the prosecution of the headmaster of the St. Johns Grammar Senior High School, Emmanuel Ofoe Fiemawhle for stopping three final year students from writing a WASSCE exam because they kept bushy hair.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has asked that the 3 students be registered and prepared to write the paper in the November WAEC remedial examinations. That decision has been criticized by groups which are seeking punishment for the headmaster. Speaking on the Super Morning Show, Executive Director of Child Rights International, Bright Appiah is calling for the headmaster to be dealt with in court.

“You cannot deny a child’s right to write examination. You are saying that because they have violated a child’s right the best thing you can do is to prepare them to go and write the examination [at a later date].

In this particular case we need to go beyond that and I have already called upon the parents to exercise their right within the court. If they are not ready to do so, we are prepared to be next friends to these people to go to court and ensure that such activities do not happen to our children in the future.

But the headmaster, Emmanuel Ofoe Fiemawhle denies preventing the students from writing the paper as reported by the media.

He told Joy News’ Keminni Amanor that the students were being routinely checked by an examination supervisor for using artificial eye lashes and perming their hair.

He said the affected students were among a group of students who have had previous disciplinary issues and that they were asked to stand aside while their colleagues were searched before being allowed into the examinations hall.

He insisted that there was no way that the supervisor would have prevented the students from writing the exam.

“It was a caution for them to stand there for some time or to go and trim their hair before coming to write,” he explained, “after the rest have entered, the group that was asked to stand aside [by the supervisor] were also searched and were asked to enter."

Unfortunately, he said, three of the students had snuck off from the group. Apparently the three attempted to see the head in his office when they split off from the group but met his absence.

They then chose to break bounds and leave the school premises, unbeknownst to the authorities, and reported to a radio station. Should they have stayed, they would not have missed the paper.

So, Mr Fiemawhle stated, "nobody prevented them from writing WASSCE…it is not true.”

Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com