Mr Michael Yao Tsuiatorfe, Ketu South Municipal Director, Ghana Education Service (GES), has refuted claims that authorities were shielding a student who attacked a tutor of Three Town Senior High School, saying “the law is taking its course.”
Gilbert Akakpo, a 19-year-old and final year Visual Arts student of the school, is currently facing trial at the Aflao Circuit Court for causing harm to Mr John Kwashi Akey, an ICT tutor in the school, when the tutor tried to prevent him from bullying a first year student.
Mr Tsuiatorfe said the attack, which happened in the afternoon of Wednesday, August 11, received swift attention from all, with the victim rushed to the hospital for treatment while the accused surrendered to the police the same day and put before the court the next day.
The municipal director, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency in his reaction to a press statement from the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), dated Friday, August 13, said the union might have been misinformed on the happenings.
NAGRAT, in a statement signed by Mr Eric Agbe-Carbonu, its president, alleged that authorities had let the student loose, hence the leadership’s backing of the decision by tutors of the school to withdraw their services in solidarity with the teacher.
“Despite the crime committed by the student, some powers that be have influenced the release of the student from the police cells and are insisting that the student be made to write the WASSCE exams, which will be supervised by the same teachers he attacked.
“The leadership of NAGRAT wants to serve notice to all that we support the decision of the teachers of Three Town Senior School to withdraw their services and refuse to invigilate the WASSCE exams if the law is not made to take its course by punishing Gilbert Akakpo for inflicting knife wounds on Mr John Kwashi Akey, the ICT teacher,” it said.
Early on Friday, a delegation, including Mr Elliot Edem Agbenorwu, Municipal Chief Executive for Ketu South, the Municipal Director of Education and the security agencies, visited the school to speak to the teachers and also visit the victim and his family at home.
“I wish to inform you that nobody supported the action of the student, not even his parents, because it was his father who handed him over to the police. He was put before court and has been granted bail in the sum of GH¢30,000 with two sureties. All the students must not suffer because one boy misbehaved,” Mr Tsuiatorfe said.
He asked teachers who were not fully convinced and would still want to refuse to invigilate during the impending final examinations to furnish his office in good time to allow for alternative arrangements for a successful 2021 WASSCE.