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Headmistress and JHS students visit the shrine over monetary issues
An investigation lead by the Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) has revealed that the headmistress of the Mt. Sinai Methodist JHS located at Kumasi in the Dompoase Circuit of Asokwa Municipality in the Ashanti Region, Madam Akyaa Kusi, has taken her students to a Deity known as Obosom in the area to swear that they should die with their relatives if they have stolen an amount of money from her office.
According to the facts available to HRRG, she suspected the students might have stolen an amount of GH¢1000 which was funds from the school’s capitation grant she kept in her office.
Investigations carried out by the Human Rights Reporters proved that the event occurred; parents of the children have also confirmed the story.
The parents of one of the students who were forced to swear to the Deity (Obosom) have not been excited about the sole decision of Madam Akyaa Kusi, the headmistress, who doubles as the Girls Fellowship President in the Methodist Church at Atonsu took.
“Taking JHS students to Deity (Obosom) over missing capitation grant cash… without reaching out to the parents and… all that transpired baffled me,” the parent said in an interview with HRRG.
They feel they should have been informed about the incident instead of the sole decision of the headmistress to take the children to the shrine.
She is said to have later bribed the students with new uniforms and sandals and warned them not to disclose what had transpired between them to anyone, not even their parents.
However, the parents got a hint of the issue later and confronted the leadership of the school, reported it to Municipal Education Office in Asokwa but nothing has been done about it.
When HRRG contacted the headmistress in an interview, she indicated that the facts available to the (HRRG) were partially true but did not provide any additional information.
It has been a little over two years and the Municipal Education Directorate seems not to be interested in dealing with the matter. It is not clear if education managers are shielding the school leadership.
Detailed information available to HRRG further shows that the director and the CS are both aware of the issues but have not taken the necessary steps to address it.
In an interview, one of the parents whose child was a victim of the actions of the headmistress confirmed the story to the Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG).
The parents of these children want both the Methodist Educational Unit and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to investigate this matter to get to the root of it to help these innocent children out.
It is also alleged that some teachers who raised concerns about the steps taken by the headmistress have since been transferred from the municipality.
The HRRG believes the rights of these children have been violated and that parents whose children were accused to have stolen the GH¢1000 were not considered as key stakeholders in addressing the issue.
We do not know what will happen in the future…; we are worried about any future implications…; one of the children accused who went to swear at the shrine is a twin and that in itself is a big issue… the madam did not do well at all,” one of the parents interviewed said.
