Education Service revises disciplinary regulations

Page 11: Daily Graphic, August 23, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Ghana Education Service (GES) is revising its disciplinary regulations to cover proprietors of private schools who misconduct themselves.
This is because the current regulations do not empower the GES to act against proprietors, heads, teaching and non-teaching staff of private schools.
The acting Deputy Director-General of the GES, Mr Stephen Adu who disclosed this said eventhough the Attorney-General’s Department for instance had asked the GES to sanction the proprietor of the Great Lamptey Mills Institute, Mr Enoch Nii Lamptey-Mills, who is facing rape charges, the service was unable to do so.
Mr Adu explained that under the current regulations, the GES could only depend on court decisions to sanction proprietors of schools who misconducted themselves.
He emphasised that the Attorney-General had asked the GES to take the necessary administrative measures to punish Nii Lamptey-Mills.
Unfortunately, he said, “the regulations in place did not cover proprietors and, therefore, the GES could not take any action against Lamptey-Mills.”
Mr Adu said the best the GES could do was to close down the school but explained that the welfare of the children had to be taken into consideration.
He said if the continuous presence of the proprietor was going to be a threat, “we would advise the parents and students appropriately.”
According to him, officials of the GES had been visiting the institute to inspect facilities and deal with other issues at the school.
Mr Adu said the case of Nii Lamptey-Mills was not straight forward and therefore required that the GES pursued it in a more professional manner.