ADISCO REQUIRES OUR SUPPORT

AS if the incident at the Adisadel College in Cape Coast, in which a final-year student of the college jumped to his death, was not disturbing enough, the fallout of that event seems to be muddying the waters even further.
Apart from the report that students of the college had been asked to go home indefinitely, as a result of tension which was said to have mounted on the compound, it is also clear that already many people are reading religion into the incident.
The popular refrain seems to be that the unfortunate incident happened because the school authorities were bent on forcing the students to adhere to a certain religious belief.
For the DAILY GRAPHIC, that conclusion is, to say the very least, very unfortunate and that the earlier people discard it, the better.
We are very much aware that in such matters, people are wont to be emotional, leading to all manner of interpretations and conclusions. But the DAILY GRAPHIC cautions that we must be very careful in such matters.
That is why we find the reaction of the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah, to this potentially dangerous misinterpretation of what transpired at ADISCO very welcome and refreshing.
He declared that as far as the GES was concerned, no religion was forced on any student in any educational institution and that even faith-based schools were not allowed to impose their religions on students who did not believe in the teachings or doctrines of those religions.
The DAILY GRAPHIC agrees with the GES Director-General that since schools are governed by rules and regulations, which are expected to be complied with by every student, then it behoves every student in every school to go by those rules.
Come to think of it — senior high school students are averagely below 18 years and so their upbringing should be guided and shaped so that they come out of school as people who are ready to be integrated into mainstream society.
That is why regulations on time to wake up, attendance at school gatherings, time to go to prep, grounds work, extra-curricular activities, etc., need to be enforced to ensure the churning out of fully-baked human resource.
The DAILY GRAPHIC would urge the GES to immediately constitute a body to go into the matter. Subsequently, its findings should be made public to set everybody’s mind at ease and to calm tempers.
We, however, plead with all who are, one way or another, affected by the incident at ADISCO to remain calm, hoping that matters will be resolved to the satisfaction of all.
The authorities in Cape Coast should also consider the situation in which traumatised SSS Three students of the school are in and not add to that trauma by keeping them at a home for long.
We can easily imagine what the teacher at the centre of the matter is going through and wish to encourage him not to be down-hearted over the issue.
Rather, he should bear in mind the Akan proverb which says: “Nea oko nsuo na obo ahina” — to wit it is the one who goes to the riverside with the pot to fetch water who is likely to break the pot!
To the bereaved family, we extend our heartfelt condolences and pray that the Creator Himself will see them through these trying times.