Rev. John Ntim Fordjour
Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has instructed the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the management of Adisadel College to submit to the ministry a disciplinary report on the viral bullying video by the close of work today.
The directive was issued during a meeting on Tuesday, July 25 with the management of Adisadel College and officials of the GES.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday, the minister also requested that the GES Counselling Unit provide psycho-social support to students as they prepare to take their WASSCE next week.
Rev. Fordjour urged the Central Regional Education Directorate and key Adisadel College staff to collaborate with security officials in the investigation.
A social media video, which went viral on Monday, stirred indignation, raising questions about the security of students in the nation’s educational institutions.
In the said video, an older-looking student is shown strangling another student before slamming the victim’s face into a metal bed in their dormitory.
The victim was later seen in the video with a swollen face and bruises, whilst some other students looked on, videotaping the incident.
As a result, both the abuser and the victim have been suspended by the school’s management. While the abuser is a West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) candidate, the victim has also been suspended for failing to report the assault.
He is expected to write his examinations on campus under parental supervision.
Meanwhile, the GES has praised management of Adisadel College for taking a “swift action to suspend the culprit” pending further investigation.
The GES, also in a statement, indicated, however, that it was deeply concerned about the barbaric act and strongly condemned the act of violence at the school.
According to a statement signed by Cassandra Twum Ampofo, Head of Public Relations, the GES reiterated, “We applaud the school authorities for taking swift action to suspend the culprit pending further investigation.”
The statement said the GES views acts of violence in schools as utterly unacceptable and detrimental to students’ overall well-being, and thus is steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for all students across the nation.
By Ernest Kofi Adu