The Ministry of Education has condemned a demonstration at the Wesley College of Education in the Ashanti Region over a new policy directing trainee teachers who have failed in a number of subjects to go home.
The failed teacher trainees were asked to go home but their colleagues are protesting against the directive.
In what they call a peaceful demonstration, the students are asking the University of Cape Coast – which oversees the academic affairs of the school – to give them another chance to redeem themselves when they fail in their exams.
Citi News’ Hawa Iddrisu reported that students have refused to eat their food and write their examination which was scheduled for Tuesday morning to register their displeasure about the development.
A student who spoke to Citi News said :“we are having a peaceful internal demonstration for our referred students who have been sacked by the UCC. We are pleading with UCC to bring them back and give them the chance to rewrite their papers.We want them to come back .We want a change of policy.”
Another said :”we are having a peaceful demonstration to show our seriousness. We have avoided eating our food and going to class and writing our exams just to show our displeasure about what is happening.”
“We are pleading with government to change that policy because it is not favourable. We are not going to eat until the policy is changed. We are not eating, we are not going to assembly until students are asked to return.”
Speaking to Citi News on the development, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Education, Francis Gbadago, said students found destroying school property will be handed over to law enforcement agencies to be prosecuted.
“If there is any student out there who thinks that indiscipline is what is going to carry the day for him or her, then they should be expecting the security agencies to make sure that they bring them to book. As a ministry, we do not think that there is the need for students to take the laws into their own hands. These are teachers who are being trained to come and teach our children so there is the need for these teachers to be disciplined… I think that is unfortunate and it must be condemned to the fullest” he noted.
Meanwhile the Principal of the school has refused to speak to the media on the issue.
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana