Bright Appiah
The Executive Director of Child Rights International (CRI), Bright Appiah, has called on authorities of Schools especially Senior High Schools (SHS) to implement comprehensive policy reforms to enhance the welfare and wellbeing of children in their schools.
The Executive Director, who made the call at a press briefing in Accra yesterday, said the safety and wellbeing of students, especially in the SHS have highlighted the need for schools to implement policies that would help address the health, safety, nutrition and emotional needs of the students.
He said some SHS in the country have recorded about four cases of deaths among its student population between February 2021 and July 2024 due to untreated sicknesses and alleged negligence, denial of medical attention and refusal of exeat by school authorities.
He said with the average population of SHS students numbering about 1000 per school, the SHS has become a self contained community in its own right, delivering essential services.
He said the services require collaborative framework and integrated approach that guarantee that every child’s wellbeing is catered for in terms of access to medical care, counselling and mental health support, academic guidance and support, and social welfare services.
Mr. Appiah cited the example of the death of Theophilus Ansah, an 18 year old SHS final year science student of the Ghana National College, in Cape Coast, who allegedly died due to the negligence of school authorities.
He said the family petitioned CRI for urgent intervention. “This indicates a broader issue of inadequate care, within boarding schools and also highlights trends of negligence in various schools when students fall sick,” he said.
Mr. Appiah further mentioned some examples of schools such as Aburi Girls, Akim Swedru SHS, Kalpohin SHS, Saint Monica’s SHS, Achimota SHS, Agona SHS, Mfantsiman Girls SHS, Ada SHS among others whose students have either faced one problem or the other including deaths through road accident, and scarcity of water.
The CRI Executive Director further stated that though his outfit found that exeat were effectively implemented in about 20 boarding Senior High Schools visited, he was, however, not satisfied with students’ inability to access them on time.
He said the delays which were largely due to multiple layers of approval and documentation could hinder timely responses to health crises.
He pointed that the policy reforms should, therefore, enforce human rights in the interest of the students.
“Upgrade medical facilities and resources to ensure that infirmaries are well equipped with essential medical supplies with trained health professionals. Develop and enforce clear welfare policies, to cover medical care, safety protocols and implement a comprehensive feedback and response system that would foster a transparent and responsive school environment,” he added.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah