Alleged assault on Labone SHS student: GES begins probe into action of Senior Housemaster

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has begun investigations into the alleged assault on a final-year student at Labone Senior High School (SHS) in Accra, Abraham Sambou, by the Senior Housemaster of the school, Eric Agyemang.

A source at the GES, who pleaded anonymity, revealed that the issue was being handled with all the seriousness it deserved.

The source said the GES condemned assault of all forms and also discouraged disobedience of rules governing schools, and promised to investigate the matter impartially and thoroughly to ascertain the truth in the allegations.

The guardian of the assaulted student, Ms. Raissa Ebu, revealed to the Ghanaian Times that as a result of the assault, Sambou, who was suffering from severe headache and pain in his left ear, was referred from the Police Hospital in Accra to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for audiological assessment.

She said, "The referral was necessary because doctors at the Police Hospital found an abnormality in Sambou’s left ear, which was suspected to have been caused by the trauma to the ear following the slap."

The issue occurred on June 18, 2024, when Sambou was accused by the school prefect, Blessing Nyamekye, of using a mobile phone.

Sambou denied the accusation, stating that he was merely defending himself against the prefect’s harassment.

Without verifying the claim, Mr. Agyemang allegedly slapped Sambou and confined him to his office without food or water until his guardians arrived later in the afternoon.

The guardians met the headmistress and the senior housemaster to discuss the matter, where Mr. Agyemang admitted to assaulting the boy, justifying it by claiming Sambou had lied about his father’s availability.

The headmistress of the school, Mrs. Rejoice Acorlor, supported the housemaster’s actions and further ensured the expulsion of the student from the boarding house until further notice, stressing that she "supports and believes everything the school’s prefects and executives say."

Mrs. Acorlor supposedly said that she would have acted even more harshly than the housemaster, including hitting Sambou with her shoes.

She also mentioned she would have prevented Sambou from registering for the WASSCE if the incident had occurred earlier.

According to the guardian of the assaulted student, Raissa Ebu, the actions of the school authorities were based solely on the prefect’s allegations against Sambou.

"Mr. Agyemang admitted to slapping Abraham, who needs all the psychological support he can get as the WASSCE approaches. The headmistress also supported this unjust treatment without giving Abraham a fair and just hearing, as natural law dictates, and instead arrogantly asked us to leave her office," she added.