The Governing Board of Achimota Preparatory School and Junior High School (APS) has urged government to be considerate with its decision to eject the school from its present location, without recourse to justice.
According to the board members, the school has occupied the said land for over 70 years, not as a commercial entity but as Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), contributing its quota to training the human capital of the country.
Speaking through its lawyers, led by Emmanuel Broni Bediako, Friday, in Accra, indicated that the government must be considerate to compensate the school at least in two ways.
Firstly, Mr Bediako proposed that government could compensate the school by giving it a reasonable number of years to relocate or give a portion of the land to the school, at least three acres, to continue operation.
Mr Bediako further demanded that the government allows the pupils, teaching and non-teaching staff to return to the school in order not jeopardise their future, especially the Form ‘3’ students, who are about to write their exams.
“As we speak, our client tells that some offices on the premises of the school are still under lock and key by the GES/Ministry of Education, against the advice of the President of Ghana, Nana Addo-DankwaAkufo-Addo.” He added that: “…The headmaster has been forced out and sanitation issues in the school are appalling, among others.”
He backed his position by urging the Ministry and GES to consider the fact that school is not a moveable asset, hence it will take time for this process to occur.
The lawyer clarified that the school is not in a legal tussle with government over the ownership of the land, however, it cannot be ejected without making any provision for it.
The public was also urged to treat the Ghana Education Service (GES) action to take over the school premises with disdain, as it is unlawful and illegal.
“The take-over of APS is illegal and unlawful and I want to repeat, illegal and unlawful, because the GES or Government of Ghana has not and cannot show any court order or for that matter a Writ of Possession that they have trumpeted…” he pointed out.
He further stated that the information put in the public domain that there had been attempts to engage APS management for a peaceful transition has no iota of truth, as the GES is alleged to have failed vehemently to produce such evidence at a meeting held on May 18.
To the lawyer, “…if there was a properly planned transition as they want the whole world to believe, as the Minister of Education alluded to on Peace FM on Tuesday, May 17, 2021 on Kokrokoo and our first meeting, they would have presented same for consideration and discussion at the May 18, 2021 meeting?”
He added that APS currently has liabilities and others that may come up in future, and asked whether the government will bear those responsibilities or not.
Lawyer Bediako described the action taken by the GES/Ministry of Education as backdoor approach and hoped for a direct negotiation, leading to a peaceful outcome.
“We can only agree to sit at table again with the GES/Ministry Education only when they withdraw their police men and administrative staff from the school, and allow the staff of the old system to run the school,” he stressed.
The post Achimota Preparatory & JHS begs gov’t over intended ejection appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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