Wasteful Gov’t Sets Up 2 Committees To Probe KNUST student Death.

A duplicity of two committees have been set up by the Akufo-Addo government to probe a single matter involving the neglectful death of a student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Senior High School.

Richard Sam was allegedly neglected to die after he had developed severe bellyache.

One of the committees is set up by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah and is chaired by High Court judge, His Lordship, Justice Obeng Diawuo and has three members.

The second is set up by the Regional Director of Education, Mary Owusu Achiaw and Chaired by Prof. Samson Kofi Ampong of the KNUST Physics Department.

Both committees have the same terms of reference – to find out what led to the alleged neglectful death of Master Sam whose last moments were captured on video as he laid dying in the hands of colleague students while teachers kept their distance for fear of catching coronavirus.

The Ashanti Regional Minister has been justifying his decision to set up his version of the committees saying it is in line with the Local Government Act which gives the Regional Coordinating Council oversight responsibility over second cycle schools 

REGSEC, he said, felt the need to probe the matter with a committee and submit its findings to President Akufo-Addo.

On the other hand, the Regional Educational Directorate has also been justifying its decision to set up its version of the committees by saying the decision was taken in consultation with the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service.

The two committees have vowed to compare notes to make the process fruitful, however, their members will be paid differently for the same task that only one committee could have performed.

Meanwhile, the committees have been taking the testimonies of witnesses including Eric Edusei, who appeared yesterday before the Regional Educational Directorate’s committee because he administered an ulcer drug to the deceased as first aid in an attempt to relieve the stomach pain.

The REGSEC Committee also heard from a School Matron and Accountant of the school, perpetual Hiawu, who is being questioned in respect of food that is served on campus.

Accra Reports Covid-19 Infections On SHS Campuses

The GreaterAccra Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Monica Ankrah, has reined in the numbers on the number of infections happening among students on SHSs campuses, claiming infections are not high.

After the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, had given an update that a little over one hundred students have been infected on the various campuses, Monica Ankrah, is claiming that the infected are only 62 in Greater Accra.

And she gives her own estimation by excluding over 50 students that have been infected at the Accra Girls Senior High School, barely a month after final year students were made to return to campus.

“To the best of my knowledge, in the whole of Greater Accra, apart from adding that of Accra Girls, we have about 62 cases,” she told journalists in Accra during a disinfection exercise at Accra Girls SHS today.

Monica Ankrah also dismissed the demands by Teacher Unions across the country for the schools to be closed down immediately, saying the number of infections is still low on campuses.

There have been over one hundred infections and two deaths after students were made to return to campus against all sound medical advice barely a month ago.

Madam Ankrah said of the Teacher Unions concern; “naturally they will be scared, hearing that we are recording cases in our schools, they are human beings and therefore we need to urge them on because what we are told is that when there is an epidemic, you need to keep it at the epicentre, you don’t spread it so they have been asked to keep the children in schools where there are health personnel to take care of them.”

“The numbers are not so overwhelming, in some of the schools, one or two cases, and when they are tested positive, they are sent to the treatment centre before they are brought back to school. And so it is better we manage them at that level rather than sending them home.”

Already, Ghana’s high infection has led to the placement of her citizens on a list of countries which are not to be given admission into the EU regio