The Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has been directed by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu to call an urgent meeting with the Headmaster of the Lawra School, the Upper West Regional and Lawra District Directors of Education, and others regarding the drowning of seven students from the school and report back to him.
Ten members of the school’s cadet corps reportedly tried to cross the Black Volta River near Dikpe into Burkina Faso during a regular morning jog during an unexpected and tragic turn of events.
Halfway through the voyage, the canoe they joined was said to have tragically capsized.
In a statement written by Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Clement Apaak, it was said that “we have confirmation through the Upper West Regional Minister and the Member of Parliament for Lawra that three of the 10 students were rescued while seven drowned.”
According to the announcement, teams from the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Police Service, and National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) have now recovered the bodies of the seven kids who perished—two boys and five girls.
“On behalf of the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, and the government, I convey our deep shock and sadness to the families of the seven students.
“We share in the grief of the affected families and the entire school community. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in this extremely difficult time,” it said.
According to the statement, “we wish to assure Ghanaians that we will continue to do our best to ensure the safety and security of our students” as the Ministry awaits a comprehensive report from the Ghana Police Service.
Statement Below:
Source: newsthemegh.com