Dignitaries on the dais at the event
The Northern Regional Director of Education, Alhaji Mohammed Haroon Cambodia, has indicated that any student who misbehaves would be sent home by authorities in the various schools.
“This is a warning to all final-year students in all Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Northern Region; you should not misbehave in the school.
He disclosed that final-year students of Dabokpa Technical Institute would come from home to the school to write their exams after which the police would escort them out of the schools as punishment for misconduct.
The Northern Regional Director of Education stated that the move would discourage other students from misbehaving in the various schools.
Alhaji Mohammed Haroon Cambodia admonished the students to abide by the rules in the schools and take their studies seriously.
He was full of praise for the students of Pong Tamale Senior High School (SHS) for their performance and discipline over the years.
Alhaji Cambodia also bemoaned the maltreatment of students, especially girls, in various schools by some teachers.
“Teachers are expected to live by the laws of their profession and so they should be careful about the gender violence going on in our schools.”
He made this known at the 25th Anniversary of Pong Tamale Senior High School (SHS) on the theme, ‘Success, Challenges and the Way Forward.’
The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed, who was the guest of honour, said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has recognized the critical role of education in the socio-economic development of the country and has therefore introduced the free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
The free SHS policy would start in the 2017/2018 academic year. As a party in government, we have made firm commitment to this policy, he added.
The Minister indicated that government would not renege on its promise of providing the requisite support to the schools.
“I am confident that with more support from all stakeholders and commitment from the teachers to set their goals, students would perform creditably.
The Headmistress of Pong Tamale Senior High School (SHS), Margaret Alasima Gbande, said past students of the school were excelling in various institutions across the country.
She indicated that the school would improve its academic performance even though it’s facing acute water shortage and lack of infrastructure.
According to her, a dining hall project, which was initiated by government some years ago, is yet to be completed and appealed to government to intervene.
“I am not complaining but we still use a small room in the school as our administration block, making keeping and tracing records very difficult.”
From Eric Kombat, Tamale
