Ghana bans political activities in second cycle schools
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has banned political activities in all public second cycle schools across the country.
A circular by the GES, posted on its notice boards at its headquarters in Accra, said, “It is announced for the information of all heads of second cycle schools that no political activities in any form, must be allowed to take place within the confines of any public second cycle school.”
The circular, signed by the Head of the Public Relations Unit of the GES, Mr Charles Parker-Allotey, also directed heads of second cycle institutions who wanted to do active political activities to resign.
“Whereas individual rights, especially right to associate freely, is recognised, heads of second cycle institutions who choose to engage in active politics are advised in their own interest to resign from their positions,” the circular said.
Earlier this year, the University of Ghana banned open-air political activities on campus.
A circular issued by the university banned all political rallies, congresses and conventions with immediate effect.
The university said the institution was also against open-air propagation of political messages through public address systems.
Explaining the action of the GES, Mr Parker-Allotey said certain political parties had made approaches to heads of institutions for the use of their facilities.
Following that, he said, the GES wanted to avoid the situation where schools would become flashpoints of political activities in view of the approaches being made by the political parties.
In addition, he said, the GES wanted to avoid the situation where there would be a scramble for the use of a facility of a school, adding that it wanted to ensure peace as far as the use of the school facilities was concerned.
Mr Parker-Allotey said the GES was not against political activities but wanted to ensure sanity in the use of its facilities.
On the heads of schools and political activities, he said it had come to the notice that some teachers and heads were deeply involved in political activities.
Some of those GES staff, he said, were constituency executive members and asked them to resign if they wanted to do active politics.
Mr Parker-Allotey said the practice was against the code of conduct of the Civil Service.
He indicated that the circular from the GES had been sent to the various schools, as well as regional and district directors of education.
Source: Daily Graphic