The Unified Group, a prominent concerned citizen organization, has strongly condemned the actions of Dr. Bawumia, the Minister of Education, and the Director-General of Education in a recent press release. The group alleges that during the “Youth Connect” tour in the Ashanti Region, these officials engaged in unlawful exploitation of minors by busing nearly 20 senior high schools to the program. The students, aged between 14 and 16, including first-year students, were allegedly used for political gain, a move that the group claims violates the 1992 Constitution and Ghana Education Service (GES) regulations.
The group highlighted a similar incident in October 2018 involving Joshua Akamba, who, while seeking election as the National Democratic Congress organizer, engaged students from Tempane Senior High School. At that time, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) demanded the suspension of the headmaster and called for an investigation by the GES. The Unified Group pointed out the hypocrisy, noting that the same standards should apply to the current situation.
Nana Boakye, the NPP National Youth Organizer, previously criticized the involvement of students in political activities, emphasizing the prohibition against engaging minors in politics. The Unified Group questions why the current administration is now allowing such actions.
The Unified Group demands answers to several critical questions:
1. Is Dr. Bawumia aware that the Constitution and GES regulations prohibit engaging minors in politics?
2. Why did Dr. Osei Adutwum allow this act, potentially undermining national laws? Is it linked to his running-mate bid?
3. Why has the Director-General of Ghana Education remained silent on this issue?
4. Will the GES investigate this matter to uphold its regulations?
5. Was the suspension of the Tempane SHS Headmaster unjustified, given the current context?
The group describes the actions of Dr. Bawumia and the NPP as irresponsible and unpatriotic, accusing them of disregarding GES regulations and disrupting the academic schedule, thereby preventing teaching and learning.
Kofi Asante Amoabeng, the National Deputy Communication Director of The Unified Group, criticized Dr. Bawumia’s focus on political activities instead of addressing the country’s economic hardships and advocating for better educational resources.
The Unified Group urges all Ghanaians, human rights activists, and civil society organizations to condemn this act and demand a full investigation from the GES and the Ministry of Education. They stress that the future of Ghana’s students is at stake and vow not to remain silent while minors are exploited for political purposes.
Attached is a press statement:
*PRESS RELEASE*
*For immediate release*
*Kumasi – Ghana*
*17th June, 2024*
*THE UNIFIED GROUP CALLS OUT DR. BAWUMIA AND THE EDUCATION MINISTER FOR UNLAWFUL EXPLOITATION OF SHS MINORS*.
The Unified Group, a concerned citizen group, strongly condemns the recent irresponsible actions of Dr. Bawumia, the Minister of Education, and the Director-General of Education for their unlawful and outrageous exploitation of minors during the “Youth Connect” tour in the Ashanti Region.
This shameful act, which saw nearly 20 senior high schools bussed to the program, involved underage students between 14 and 16 years old, including first-year students, being used for political gain. This is a clear violation of the 1992 Constitution and GES regulation presided over by the Minister of Education, Dr. Osei Adutwum, and the Director General of Education, which frowns on engaging minors in politics.
In October 2018, the then Joshua Akamba, who was seeking to be elected as the substantive organizer of the National Democratic Congress, saw engaging students from Tempane Senior High School.
This saw a large voice from the NPP organizing numerous press conferences demanding the suspension of the headmaster. This also led to a full lunch of investigations by the Ghana Education Service against the headmaster.
Now the rope that was used to hang somebody finds itself around their neck while telling the Ghanaians that what they did is different, so we should leave them.
*These In the words of Nana Boakye, the NPP National Youth Organizer, These are children who have been misled in politics; it can’t be held in general view. You can’t engage in party-active politics, and there’s a cogent reason for that.*
So if the NPP called against an engagement with the students as an act of politics and the GES regulation frowned on that, why is it that today they are the same people busing students from their various campuses to engage in active politics just as a way to cover Dr. Bawumia’s failures?
We demand answers to the following questions:
1. Is Dr. Bawumia aware that the Constitution and GES regulations prohibit engaging minors in politics?
2. Why did Dr. Osei Adutwum allow this unlawful act to undermine the law of our country? Is it because of his running-mate bid?
3. Why is the Director-General of Ghana Education silent on this matter?
4. As an urgency, GES should conduct an investigation into the matter to hold its regulation in high regard.
5. Should we accept that the Tempane SHS Headmaster’s suspension was unjustified, given the current situation?
This irresponsible, repulsive, and unpatriotic gesture by Dr. Bawumia and the NPP shows a total disregard for the Ghana Education Service regulations that forbid engaging minors (students) in active politics.
This unacceptable incident disrupted the academic day, preventing teaching and learning from taking place. It is appalling that Dr. Bawumia, as the head of the Economic Management Team, has failed to address the country’s economic hardships and advocate for proper teaching and learning resources and infrastructure. So based on this, we were not expecting him to buss the minor students for his political gimmicks but to address the pressing needs of the students and Ghanaians.
The Unified Group calls on all Ghanaians, human rights activists, and civil society organizations to condemn this unlawful act and demand a full investigation from GES and the Ministry of Education. The future of our students is at stake, and we will not stand idly by while they are exploited for political gains.
*Issued by*
*Kofi Asante Amoabeng
National Deputy Communication Director, The Unified Group
Tel: +233 24 442 2362*
Mr. Dari ( Action )
National Deputy Coordinator, The Unified Group
Tel: +233 24 162 9673
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