13 STUDENTS SUSPENDED OVER CLASHES (BACK PAGE)

THIRTEEN students of the Bawku Senior High School (BSHS) and the Bawku Technical Institute (BTI) have been suspended for their alleged involvement in clashes between the two schools on April 4 and 5, this year.
A White Paper issued by the Upper East Regional Co-ordinating Council last Tuesday, said the decision was arrived at following recommendations of a six-member committee of enquiry set up by the Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the disturbances.
Five students out of the 12 from the BTI were suspended for one year for their active role in fuelling the clashes, while the remaining eight including one female, all of BSHS, were suspended for one month each. They would also be de-boardinised after serving the period of their suspension.
This, according to the RCC, would serve as a deterrent to others in the future.
Those suspended for one year are Maurice Kaguah, Foster Ayamga, Edward Kodabalogo, Kadiri Osman and Rashid Bukari, all of BTI.
The rest, who are under a month’s suspension, are Abdul-Saamed Mahama, Dennis Ayamga, Awinaba Sulemana Abdul-Ganim, Sampson, John Badiwomehit Yizanbazor and Simon Zong, all of BSHS.
Veronica Oladokun of BSHS and Raymond Nsoh of BTI were suspended for one month each and de-boardinised for sitting together at a common market at an ungodly hour.
The Senior Prefect of BSHS, Master Asaki Zackariah Seidu, is also to pay for the cost of uniform of one Raymond Nsoh of BTl after which he is to be stripped of his post for being irresponsible.
It would be recalled that following a clash between students of both schools in April, this year, which resulted in injury to some students and destruction of property worth GH¢10,020.98, the Upper East Regional Minister set up a six-member committee of enquiry to investigate the disturbances and come out with recommendations.
The committee was under the chairmanship of Mr Luke Abugri, Principal of the Gbewaa Training College.
Among other things, the committee recommended that entertainment programmes of the two schools in future should close at the same time to avoid problems. It also recommended that school rules and regulations should be adhered to in the two schools particularly at night.
The committee also recommended that more interactive activities should be encouraged between the two schools, particularly during the day time, to foster unity between the two institutions.
The committee also recommended that the school authorities should draw the attention of the security agencies anytime there was rumour of imminent threat of attack on each other.
It was also recommended that tutors who were scheduled to be on duty from March 29 to April 4, 2009 should be reprimanded for negligence of duty.
However, the committee said one Mr Joseph Azuntaba of Bawku Senior High School should be commended for his dedication to duty during the period.