E/R: Akropong School For The Blind Students Demand Removal Of Headmistress

The Students of School for the Blind in the Akropong in Akuapem United North Municipality in Eastern Region on friday morning embarked on a demonstration for the removal of the headmistress of the school. Students accused headmistress of the school, Mahela Narh of mismanagement leading to the gradual collapse of the

school and the poor academic performance. They also cited the Headmistress for misappropriation of funds and selling of foods donated by philanthropists. They also alleged that the Headmistress has been verbally abusing students with their disability. The student also complained about the poor quality of the meals serve

them. A Joint Petition by the Students Representative Council the (SRC) and the Progressive Old Students Association of Akropong School for the Blind presented to the Ghana Education Service GES also called on all stakeholders, the office of the President, the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service and CHRAJ for

the headmistress, Mahela Narh’s immediate interdiction for proper investigation also to be conducted. After the investigation, she should be re-assigned because her continuous stay in the school will not bring peace and academic progress.

Petition

REMOVAL OF THE HEADMISTRESS OF AKROPONG SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND (MAHELA NARH).

The Student Representative Council, the silent majority and the progressive Old Students Association are also strongly calling for the removal of the headmistress of Akropong School for the Blind for the following reasons:

GROSS DISRESPECT

The headmistress, Madam Mahela Narh has over the years showed gross disrespect and disregard to the dignity of the blind. Examples are as follows; She has also over the years disregarded and disrespected the prefectorial board which is the main body that also channel the issues bothering students, and a number of

appointments booked with her are to no avail. The rate at which she raises insults and curses students is also alarming. A clear example is the 2015 JHS 3 batch you will all fail your exams and you will all be miserable in life. These harsh words compelled a former teacher who also was a Reverend Minister to intervene for the

headmistress to reverse the curse which she never did. She once told the 2018 assistant boys prefect by the name Opare Asante that it is because of your behavior that God made you blind. She recently also cursed a continuing student by the name of Paulina Osei and the likes of other individual students. So if special educator can say and sing this way, then what about the ordinary man on the street.

MISAPPROPRIATION OF DONATION MONIES

The headmistress secretly lodged a donated money which was meant to renovate the school’s music unit from a philanthropist into dormant World Vision Project account with a retired staff member late Mr. Amofah who was also a signatory to that account, without the knowledge of the school Bursar. It took the intervention

of the Municipal Internal Auditor, Mr. Allotey, before the money was brought to the main school account, which has not been fully used for its purpose. This means that cash donations received from unknown persons and through school activities and outside has never been accounted for.

POOR QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF STUDENTS MEALS

We are aware and know that, there are a lot of donated food items that come from individuals, religious groups, politicians and as well as benevolent organization to supplement what the government brings but it will also surprise you that the headmistress in connivance with the storekeeper have been taking majority of food items

like bags of rice, gallons of cooking oil, toiletries and any other relevant food items that are also for human consumption to prominent people in high offices, family and friends without thinking about the students. The quality of our meals are mostly poor since the quality one’s too are sent out as gift in an apparent attempt to

grease the palms of people in high authority. Anytime we complain of the quality and quantity of our food, we are told that the government has not been paying our feeding grants. If this not true, and she is disgracing the president and the first lady who is the Patron of the school, then the government must take the immediate

action against her. Apart from the school stores where food items are kept there is a separate room where those food items that are sent outside are also kept which only the headmistress have access to the room.

POOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE UNDER HER WATCH

The academic work under her regime has gone down drastically. We are pleading with authorities to analyse the BECE results for the past 10 years and compare it with the results before she became the headmistress in the 2009 and almost twelve 12 years of her stay in the school, academic performance has fallen. Meanwhile, the vocational craft department and music unit which

serve as the heart of the school, where talents are being discovered have not been given much attention since they lack practical materials. The teaching and learning materials, the assistive devices like talking calculator, perkin brailler machines and two hundred (200) pieces of tablets which was supplied by the government and benevolent organizations have been kept at the school stores which some are being destroyed by mice and termites without its usage.

LACK OF TEACHING PERSONNEL

The school is currently lacking teachers to replaced deceased staffs and other teaching staffs who have been transferred to different institutions which have become a vacuum thereby hindering effective teaching and learning in the school. For example the school is having one French and a Twi teacher who teaches from primary to JHS.

ACCOMODATION

Visually impaired national service teachers who were past students of the school and were posted to the school to give back to their alma mata were denied accommodation by the headmistress, meanwhile, there are a lot of rooms rotten in the school. Through this, the school lost two (2) ICT teachers to the okuapeman shs Meanwhile, ICT Is not given much attention.

LACK OF MATTRESSES

The school is having more than a thousand mattresses which were supplied by the government but as at now most of us are sleeping on old mattresses which have become lean and flatted, with bed bugs infection but the headmistress has decided not to release the new one’s for our usage which our house masters and mistresses informed her about the development but she wouldn’t listen.

METAL BED

Most of our metal beds are not in good condition which need to be changed. But it will surprise you those new metal beds supplied by the government that were kept for long without its usage have been sold to scraps which shouldn’t be so because it is government property.

LACK OF MAINTENANCE

Some students are sleeping in cracked buildings which has become a death trap and one day can lead to loss of human lives. Example is the MTN Ghana Foundation Boys Dormitory and the new Girls Dormitory, leakages of the dining hall, an abandoned school bus donated by a philanthropist has also been left in the mercy of the weather without its usage. With all these, nothing has been done, meanwhile, we receive cash donations every now and then.

NO AFFECTION AND MOTHERLY LOVE FOR STUDENTS

Students’ welfare has not been considered as her top-most priority, since there are also a lot of students who needs admission in the school to study but were denied due to her discriminative nature. Examples are the adult students. Secondly, one little girl who fell into a deep pit was also left in the hands of her parents and to pay for

her medical treatment without the school’s concern. Another young girl by the name Victoria Asem was also raped by an unknown man when she was bathing at the bathhouse due to a lack of security in the school and nothing was done. In conclusion, we are calling all stakeholders, the office of the President, Ministry of

Education, the Ghana Education Service and CHRAJ for the headmistress Madam Mahela Narh’s immediate interdiction for proper investigation to be conducted. After the investigation, she should be re-assigned because her continuous stay in the school will not bring peace and academic progress. This is the first step as a sign of respect, thank you.

Sincerely Yours,

Archibold Lamptey(Senior Prefect)
Godwin Wiafe( concern student)

Bismark Amo Kwadwo(Secretary)
(POSA) Tel: 0241359717/0577419048