Although there are several issues happening in the country which call for criticisms of the government, these issues do not warrant insulting the President, a Professor at the University of Ghana Ransford Gyampo has said.
Speaking on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday January 14, he said “I am for criticisms but not insults, you can’t insult the president like that.”
He further commended the president for heeding the call to intervene in the sacking of the students who insulted him.
“The President should also give this same listening ear to other important issues which Ghanaians have made critical calls,” he said.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made an intervention in the punishment meted out to some eight girls of Chiana Senior High School.
President Akufo-Addo made the intervention “after his attention was drawn to it”.
A press release issued by the Spokesperson of the Minister of Education, Kwasi Kwarteng, on Friday, January 13 said Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to, as a result, consider an alternative disciplinary action instead of dismissal.
The eight girls were dismissed after investigations into a video they recorded in November, 2022, raining expletives on the President.
The Service, after the investigations, decided to dismiss the eight girls from the school.
Since a communication of the decision to parents, opinions have been divided over the punishment.
Some of the parents have condemned the action of their wards while the children themselves have apologised in another video to the President.
But a large majority, including the Minority in Parliament, called for a recession of the decision by GES.
The GES has referred the intervention of Mr Akufo-Addo to the school’s Disciplinary Committee (DC) for action.
According to the Service, the punishment meted out to the students was based on a recommendation by the Committee.
“Thus, Management has referred the matter to the school’s Disciplinary Committee to explore alternative sanctions other than dismissal,” a statement issued by the Head of Public Relations at GES, Cassandra Twum Ampofo, on Friday, January 13 said.
