Authorities in eastern Ghana have ordered the immediate, indefinite closure of two prominent senior high schools following violent reprisal attacks between students that left several buildings burned and six pupils in hospital.
The Eastern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) instructed students at Mount Sinai Senior High School and Okuapeman Senior High School (OKUASS) in the Akuapem North Municipality to vacate their campuses, with armed security personnel deployed to restore order.
The shutdown follows a series of clashes that resulted in severe structural damage across both sites. At Okuapeman SHS, fires destroyed seven classrooms, a teachers’ office, and the Visual Arts studio—burning official certificates and examination papers. Mount Sinai SHS suffered similar destruction, where a blaze gutted a storeroom and a boys’ washroom block.
Six students from Okuapeman SHS were admitted to hospital with varying degrees of injury. The school’s headmaster confirmed that four have since been treated and discharged, while two remain under medical care.
Following an immediate on-site inspection of the damaged facilities, REGSEC issued strict evacuation deadlines: Mount Sinai pupils were ordered off campus by 13:00 GMT on Wednesday, whilst Okuapeman students were given until Thursday morning to clear their dormitories.
Addressing the student body, the Eastern Regional Director of Education, Dr Ivy Asantewaa, condemned the violence, confirming that the Ghana Education Service (GES) would take swift disciplinary action against any pupil involved.
“It takes two or more to fight. We are completely unhappy with what has transpired. You were sent here to study and develop moral uprightness, and you must conduct yourselves accordingly,” Dr Asantewaa said.
The Eastern Regional Minister and Chairperson of REGSEC, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, voiced her disappointment over the destruction, pointing out that state resources were currently focused on expanding infrastructure across second-cycle institutions nationwide. She assured the public that police investigations are under way to identify those responsible, warning that all individuals found culpable will face the full rigours of the law.
Police officers remain stationed at both institutions to guard property while inquiries continue.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
