A former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr. Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, has criticized the Bawku Municipal Security Council’s decision to deploy military escorts for students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Dr Tandoh described the move as counterproductive, arguing that the presence of armed security forces in examination centers could traumatize rather than protect the students.
The decision by local authorities comes amid renewed tensions and violent clashes in the Bawku municipality, which have raised concerns about the safety of students commuting to and from examination centers.
The Bawku Municipal Security Council insists the military escort is a necessary precaution to safeguard lives and ensure the smooth conduct of the exams.
"We will send security, we will bus them, we don't want them to come by themselves. We will look for school buses to bring them to the campus. And then we will put police and military on the campus so that these students can write their exam in peace," Bawku Municipal Chief Executive, Isaac Azunaba, explained.
Final year students of the Nalerigu Senior High School are also affected by the closure of the school following the murder of two students there last week.