Asofan cluster of schools to re-open , June 21, 2013

Asofan Cluster of Schools, near Ofankor in the Ga West municipality, will be reopened on Thursday after it was closed down last Friday.

The school was shut down following an attack on it  by some irate youth of the area.

The Ga West Municipal Assembly ordered the immediate closure of the school last Friday as a result of what it described as a chaotic scene reported by teachers of the schools.

When the Daily Graphic visited the school on Tuesday, only Junior High School three pupils were in school, preparing for their Basic Education Certificate Examination.

The primary and JHS one and two classrooms had been padlocked. There was no sign of destruction of school property.

Some idle pupils were seemed loitering around, while others were engaged in a hearty chat outside the classroom.  Some others were also in the classroom.

Teachers would not speak on the issue except to refer the Daily Graphic to the Ga West Municipal Education office.

Narrating events leading to the closure of the school, Mr Daniel Budu Asiedu, the Director of Education of the Ga West Municipal Assembly, said the incident started on Thursday when a play between two pupils degenerated into insults with one girl accusing another girl of being a witch. That, he said, apparently did not sit well with the alleged “witch’s” family.

“When school reopened on Friday, the girl’s family attacked everybody on sight at assembly, according to what I was told.”

He said the circuit supervisor for the area was dispatched to the school but after he had given account of the situation, it was agreed that the school should be closed down.

“This compelled me to ask that the school be closed down if lives and property were in danger.”

Mr Asiedu said chiefs and elders of the community approached his office to have the issues resolved amicably, since it was embarrassing to the community.

He said given the posture of the chiefs, he gave them the go-ahead to resolve the matter.
Mr Asiedu said he and the chiefs agreed to meet today (Wednesday) to review progress made and possibly reopen the schools tomorrow (Thursday).

When contacted, Nii Shipi Francis Aryeetey, an elder of the Asofan Traditional Area, confirmed the incident but denied media reports that the youth of the entire town had besieged the school.

He said the matter had been laid to rest with the perpetrators apologising to the school and signing a bond to be of good behaviour.

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