The Gowrie Senior High/Technical School in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region of Ghana witnessed a dramatic turn of events on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, as teachers forcibly chase out the headmistress Elizabeth Zinye Paaga, they accused her of autocratic leadership since her appointment.
A teacher, speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation, shared that tensions with the headmistress have been escalating since 2021. Following student riots, the headmistress charged each student 109 Ghana cedis for damages but allegedly failed to renovate essential school facilities, such as the staff room and teachers’ quarters. Moreover, the headmistress has not accounted for the funds collected from the students.Despite multiple petitions to the district and regional education directors, no resolution was reached.
Teachers also criticized her for withholding the 2024 WASSCE results analysis, which they believe is essential for understanding student performance trends.Additionally, accusations emerged regarding the diversion of food supplies including mackerels, gallons of oil, and bags of rice from the school storeroom to another location without notifying the storekeeper.
This issue escalated when the acting district director of education and police officers investigated the situation. During their visit, teachers and students confronted the headmistress, chanting for her removal.A teacher named withheld expressed that since Monday, the faculty has been unable to administer end-of-term exams due to a lack of A4 paper.
He also noted instances of abusive language directed at teachers during meetings, leading to further discontent.Teachers are now appealing to the regional director of education to reassign the headmistress to another school, citing that her presence is detrimental to the learning environment. If this does not happen, they fear they will be unable to cooperate with her or engage with students effectively.
When contacted for a response, Headmistress Paaga declined to speak, stating, “I am just a caretaker, not the district director of education. What has already happened has damaged me.”
Source: mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya Adongo