ST CHARLES OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION CONDEMNS SPATE OF ARSON ATTACKS ON THE SCHOOL

ST CHARLES OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION CONDEMNS SPATE OF ARSON ATTACKS ON THE SCHOOL

The recent arson attacks on St. Charles Minor Seminary/Senior High School, Tamale, have been very disturbing and need urgent attention in finding solutions to abate these fires.

In the past four days, that is from Monday, August 16 to Thursday, August 19, 2021, there have been sustained, calculated and systematic attempts to burn one block or the other in the School. These attacks come on the heels of six previous attempts to burn down this institution of intellectual repute. A school that has produced Archbishops and Bishops, Priests, Politicians, Professors, Lawyers, Engineers, Accountants, Teachers, etc who continue to give back to their communities in different ways and forms.

The recent attacks have immensely interfered with and disrupted teaching, inflicted psychological trauma on both students and teachers and massive economic loss to the school and community.

In a bid to contain this rather difficult and worrying situation, old boys in a meeting with management made some suggestions, in addition to the support that we have always offered in the forms of books, cash donations and more recently the building of a dormitory block, which is at the foundation level. However, it is very clear that management has so far failed to act on these suggestions, have not been innovative, and have not come up with alternative solutions to bringing this menace to an end.

We reiterate that innovative measures such as the following should be implemented to abate these arson attacks:

1. Improving upon the lighting system in the School.
2. Pruning trees on the school campus to increase visibility in order to deter intruders.
3. Installation of close circuit television cameras (CCTV) to ensure real time monitoring of the campus as well as capture footages of those who engage in this rather dastardly act.
4. Increased security surveillance on campus especially in areas of the school that border the neighbourhoods as a deterrent to would-be arsonists and or intruders.
5. Improve school community relations in a bid to end these arson attacks through dialogue with its neighbours. These neighbours would also ensure that they play a role of another layer of security.
6. Installation of basic and relevant fire prevention devices in the School.
7. Engage undercover agents to gather information on why these perennial arson attacks since 2017.

We, therefore, call on the Ghana Education Service, the body responsible for pre-tertiary education, to as a matter of urgency, get the Management of the School to be up and doing before we lose the School.

It is very important for the Management of the School and the Church to be seen to be proactive in this rather disturbing situation where attempts to burn the School down have become a daily affair in the past few days.

 

We call on the School Management and the Church, to as a matter of urgency, ensure that some practical and workable solutions are found and implemented immediately to ensure peace and security. Lives and properties in the School must be safeguarded immediately to ensure confidence in the minds of both teachers and students. We are ever ready to continue in support of any course at resolving this problem.

We also call on the Regional Security Council (RESEC), especially the Ghana Police Service and the National Investigation Bureau (NIB) to help identify those behind the fires and have them arrested. We have every confidence in the abilities of these institutions to unravel the mystery surrounding these fires.

 

We further call on government and the GETFUND in particular to as a matter of urgency complete all projects at the school that have stalled and renovate or demolished burnt structures. Clearly, some of these may provide safe haven for criminals.

 

We again call on benevolent members of the society and all those who have St. Charles at heart to rally behind the old boys to find a lasting solution to this recurrent problem.

 

Finally, we are appealing to the general public for financial support to help in the renovation of the properties that have been burnt to restore normalcy to teaching and learning. END

 

-Signed-

Mark Ofori-Amanfo (President, Greater-Accra Branch and Member of Global Coordinating Committee) – 0244633448

Victor Ninsau (President, Ashanti Region and Member of Global Coordinating Committee) – 0552565793

Dr. Dominic Dery (President, Northern Region and Member of Global Coordinating Committee) – 008162470

David Kajah (President, USA and Canada and Member of Global Coordinating Committee) – +1(773) 584 -2125