Aggrey Memorial boys flog girls for going "outside’"

Female students of the Aggrey Memorial School at Cape Coast, were last month subjected to severe flogging and lashing by their male colleagues at a Sunday evening service. Their reason? The boys were angry with the girls for fratenising with boys from Adisadel College during their 12th Annual Regional Athletics Competition held on 15 March.

They switched off the lights during the service and pounced on the girls with sticks and belts, which they had taken into the church, hidden in their clothes. According to sources close to the school, some of the girls, in their attempt to flee the assault, fell down and received various degrees of injuries. A few fell unconscious. Those hurt were treated at the Cape Coast Hospital.

Due to the trauma, some of the girls could not attend classes for sometime. The source said that on Friday 15 March, as the students prepared to leave for the competition at the Adisadel compound, the boys warned their girls not to come along, for they had information about what the Adisco boys had planned to do with the girls.

But the girls refused to take the advice. They organised themselves and joined the school bus to Adisadel. After the competition, which went in favour of Adisadel College boys and Apam Secondary School girls respectively, all the heads of schools and organisers departed, leaving only the students who were waiting for their school buses to convey them back to school.

The Aggrey Memorial School bus arrived at the pitch twice but some of the female students refused to join it back. While they were waiting for the bus to return for the third batch, the rains set in. the female students together with some Adisadel boys ran to find shelter at nearby places, where the Adisadel boys were said to have taken advantage of the situation to “mishandle” them. Some of the female students returned to campus late while others were seen only the next morning.

The Aggrey boys, offended by the action of their female counterparts, then decided “to instill some discipline in them.” Thus, on Saturday 16 March, they prevented the girls from attending prep and dining. The boys threw stones and sticks at those who attempted to break into the dining hall. Not even the interventions by some of the teachers could change the situation. According to sources, some of the teachers ordered for food to be sent to the girls at their dormitories.

Most of the girls refused to attend classes throughout the week for fear of being beaten up by their male colleagues. Some attended classes on Monday at about 12.15 pm. It was not immediately known what action the school authorities had taken against either the boys or the girls who spent the night outside.

When the Times visited the school later, broken door glasses were seen on the stairs of the Assembly Hall where the church service took place. The Headmaster, Mr Kwesi Appiah Danquah was not present as he was said to have traveled to Accra. Non of his two assistants were also available for comments.