Bolga Technical closed down over student riots
The authorities of the Bolgatanga Technical Institute (BOTECH) in the Upper East Region have closed down the school indefinitely.
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This followed student riots last Saturday after a first year student, Castro Ayine, fell from a three-storey dormitory block and fractured his leg in the process.
The victim is currently receiving treatment at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
Cause
The students reportedly raised an alarm that there was a fire outbreak in one of the boys dormitories around midnight last Friday, and in the ensuing stampede, the victim was pushed to the ground; the dormitory has no rail to prevent accidental falls.
Some of the students blamed the incident on the deplorable condition of the dormitory building and staged a protest to demand an immediate renovation of the facility.
Protest
The students also embarked on a hunger strike and rejected their breakfast, lunch and supper.
Not even pleas from the Bolgatanga Municipal Director of Education could convince the students to calm down and eat.
"The structure is without a rail to prevent accidental falls. There are cracks in the floors of some of the old structures in the school and that is why we are angry," one of the students said. They also reportedly blocked the school’s main road to prevent their mates from taking part in the inter-schools sports competition for the Bolgatanga Zone at the Bolgatanga Senior High School (BIGBOSS).
As the situation was getting out of hand, the authorities had to call in the police to quell the rioting.
Principal's reaction
The Principal of BOTECH, Mr Thomas Amare, who took over the school about six months ago, said: "It is true that some of the facilities at the school are deteriorating and have never seen any renovation for years."
He said the authorities had since organised and bought new iron rods and pipes “and as we speak now, work is ongoing to fix the problem."
Mr Amare commended the students for not damaging any property in the school.
He said the decision as to when the school would be reopened depended on the Ghana Education Service (GES).
The principal indicated that the situational report would be forwarded to the GES on Monday.
