Our principal, teachers did not order attack on WAEC officials – Bright SHS

The management of Bright Senior High School has jumped to the defence of its proprietor saying he had no hand in the incident of violence recorded at his school in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Though the proprietor, Bright Amponsah, has been accused of ordering students to attack officers of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the school says WAEC officials prevented the principal from entering the school on Thursday, when the attack happened.

It also stressed in a statement that “none of the teachers of Bright Senior High School was allowed to partake in the invigilation of the Social Studies examination on August 6, 2020.”

The school was reportedly upset with the strict measures put in place by WAEC-appointed invigilators.

Similar reasoning led to disturbances at the Juaben Senior High School and Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School.

Bright SHS in the statement maintained that “the principal and the teachers could not have instructed the students to stop writing the paper and leave the school premises as has been reported”.

The school further said it condemned “any act of violence, assault, damage to property and any such similar vices and will not condone any student or teacher to perpetrate such activities.”

Police and the National Inspectorate Board are currently engaged in investigations into the incident.

The Bright Senior High School assured that it is “cooperating fully with law enforcement agencies to bring to justice any persons who might have engaged in any unlawful act on the said day.”

Developments since incident

Following the incident, WAEC has relocated the WASSCE at the Bright Senior High School in Kukurantumi to Ofori Panin Senior High School.

WAEC in a statement said it had decided to relocate the examination centre to “ensure the integrity of the examination and safeguard the lives of examination officials.”

The proprietor of the school was also picked up by police from the Eastern Regional command along with four other teachers.

They have been granted bail with a surety each to reappear at the Regional Police Command.

The police said they have been cautioned for assault and causing damage.