On Wednesday 15th July 2021, the Talensi Rock Youth Association locked up the office of the newly appointed Headmaster of the Gbeogo school for the Deaf in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region to protest the appointment of a new Headmaster to the school.
The youth group said their action was against; “ the unfair, illegal and undemocratic appointment of a gentleman to take over the headship of the Gbego School for the Deaf without recourse to due process which contravenes the normal procedure and convention for the replacement of a Headmaster in the special school when their offices become vacant.”
The group at a press conference organised at the premises of the school said that the appointment of the new headmaster came to their attention through a petition copied to them by the staff of the school to protest his appointment without due process.
“this came to light through a petition copied us from staff and workers of the school. A summary of this petition indicates that the former Headmaster , Mr. Felix Netege, is the brain behind the current tension prevailing in the school.
The group said convention and standard practice for the appointment of headship of heads of schools was not followed in the appointment of the new head of the school. They argue that Ghana education service never advertised the vacancy for the position of headmaster of the school as standard practice demand
“To the best of our knowledge,there has never been any circular advertising vacancy of the position of headmaster of the school as was done in the case of the Savelugu and Wa Deaf schools some months ago.”
“We have witnessed three headmasters taking over headship of the school,himself inclusive( Felix Netege), at different times and in each case,interviews were always conducted at the Talensi District Education Office and the best candidate’s details were sent to Ghana Education Service(GES) Headquarters for appointment through the the Upper East Regional Director of Education. We are told that the same happened with the recent appointment of heads appointed to Savelugu and Wa Deaf Schools. Why then should this process be skipped or truncated in the case of finding replacement to fill the the vacancy at the Gbeogo School for the Deaf his time round?”
They accuse the out-gone headmaster who is now the district director of Bodi district in the Western North Region giving inaccurate report of four senior staff of the school who could have succeeded him to the Special Education Divisional Director, a report which the Divisional Director never gave the four an opportunity to respond.
“ Mr. Felix Netege (former Headmaster of the school) painted four senior staff of the school who could have succeeded him black to the Special Education Divisional Director.thereafter,they were never given a hearing at all by the Divisional Director before the controversial appointment of this new headmaster. This, to us, is injustice to the highest order”Reading in between the lines, there is the suspicion that there was some under-dealings by the former headmaster with the Divisional Director to perpetuate the appointment of his kinsman regardless any ill-feeling by any stakeholder of the school.”
“And so, we will resist this very appointment until the right thing is done for peace and tranquility to prevail.”
Meanwhile Mr. Felix in reaction to the recent happenings in the school on Word Fm, has refuted all allegations leveled against him. Mr, Felix Netege said he had no hand in the appointment of the new headmaster since he is not the appointing authority.
On the allegation of he giving bad report of some senior staff of the school, Mr.Felix said that issue surfaced while he was in the school from the assistant headmaster, but when the assistant headmaster was asked to prove same in the presence of the Divisional Director he chickened out without any prove.
Mr. Rockson of the Talensi Youth Association has however disclosed that they have opened the headmaster’s office for teaching and learning to continue after a brief meeting with the D.C.E and some elders of the district.
By: Simon Agana/mywordfmonline,com