March 28, 2024

The authorities of the Agogo State College have defended a decision to send home about 5,000 students following a violent demonstration on campus.

District Director of Education, Ernest Kojo Afari, said the organized vandalism by the students left the school in complete darkness with no water supply.

“The school has been left under a complete cover of darkness and you know what students can do in darkness,” he told Joy News Emefa Apawu Monday.

A demonstration against erratic water and power supply by students turned violent and disruptive on Sunday.
The students were alleged to have destroyed all the street lights on campus as well as other water installations.

But for the intervention of the police, the situation would have been worse.

A total of 22 students have since been arrested, 18 of the girls. The school has been shut down and all the students sent home.

The District Director Kojo Afari said demonstrations are not new and are part of the country’s democratic dispensation but violent demonstrations will not be countenanced.
“You are saying you don’t have enough and the little you have too, you want to destroy it,” he regretted.

According to him, the students mobilized and vandalized school property, leaving the school in complete darkness.

Asked if the issue of erratic water and power supply had been brought to his notice, he said the issue of erratic power was as a result of a decision by the ECG to introduce pre-paid meters in the school.
He said the school had to resort to a judicious use of electricity after it started paying almost 2,000 cedis monthly for power.

As a result, a decision was taken to switch off the lights after 10pm and switch it back on at 4:00am.

He said this was an age-long practice and the students were communicated to in order for them to know the situation.

He found it worrying that despite the communication, the students still went ahead to destroy the limited facilities.
He said the students will remain home as authorities attempt to repair the damaged properties.

Source: Myjoyonline

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