GES petitioned to sanction Labone SHS Housemaster for allegedly assaulting student

The family of Abraham Sambou, a final-year student at Labone Senior High School in Accra have petitioned the Ghana Education Service (GES) to investigate an alleged physical assault on their ward.

The student was reportedly slapped by the senior housemaster, Eric Agyemang, known as 'Power,' following a false accusation by the school prefect of using a mobile phone.

In the petition sighted by Accra based GhanaWeb, Sambou was allgedly detained without food or water and subsequently expelled from the boarding house without due process, requiring him to commute from Kasoa to Accra for classes.

"This wrongful undocumented expulsion without recourse to due process poses a significant problem to the entire family since Master Sambou would have to commute daily from Kasoa in the Central Region to Labone, Accra.

"The family expressed deep concerned about the mistreatment of our ward, Master Samboum, and the conduct of the school authorities, particularly Mr. Agyeman, who has admitted to slapping this vulnerable final year student - a student who needs all the psychological help he can get as the WASSCE approaches," portions of the petition said.

The family expressed concern over the mistreatment and the senior housemaster's conduct, which was reportedly supported by the headmistress, Rejoice Acorlor.

The family has called for a full investigation, the revocation of Sambou's expulsion, and accountability for the involved school officials.

"Mr. Agyemang justified his actions by claiming Master Sambou lied about his father's availability when asked to provide his father's phone number. Later, it was confirmed that Master Sambou's father was indeed unavailable as the call was eventually answered by the boy's mother.

"When we visited the school to address the issue, Mr. Agyemang admitted to slapping Master Sambou. The headmistress, Mrs Rejoice Acorlor, brazenly supported Mr. Agyemang's actions and stated that she would have acted even more harshly by slapping my ward and hitting him with her shoes. She also mentioned that if the incident had occurred before the resignation for the WASSCE, she would have ensured Master Sambou was not registered for the exam," the petition added.

Additionally, they raised concerns about a photograph on Agyemang's WhatsApp profile showing him holding a gun, questioning his suitability as a role model for students.