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Ghana Senior High Scchool (GHANASCO) and Vitting Senior High Schools (VSEC) in the Tamale Metropolis have been temporarily closed after they clashed over a disputed penalty in a football match.

The Northern Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service, Alhaji Mohammed Haroun Cambodia ordered the closure following reprisal attacks from students of the two schools.

Citi News’ Abdul Karim Naatogmah spoke to Mr Cambodia who revealed that students of Vitting secondary school set fire to beds in GHANASCO campus after the match. “The Vitting students went to burn beds. GHANASCO packed their beds at the VSEC yard which now belongs to GHNASCO and the Vitting students went and burnt the beds, wooden beds.”

This provoked the GHANASCO students who sneaked into the Vitting School to attempt to set one of their dormitories on fire. “The GHANASCO students also went at dawn to burn the Vitting Senior high school dormitory but because of the vigilance of the Vitting senior high school students who didn’t sleep because they knew there could be a reprisal attack and it actually, it happened,” Mr Cambodia said. Some students were injured during the arson attack but have been treated and discharged by the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

Mr Cambodia stated that the schools had to be closed down because the safety and security of the students could not be guaranteed.

“The way things were going, I realized that there was no peace, there was not security and I couldn’t guarantee even tonight what would have happened if the students had stayed on campus… so my decision was that the schools should be closed down temporarily.”

He, however, noted that the final year students were asked to stay on because of their preparations for oncoming WASSCE examination. “We sympathized with the final years because they are writing their mock [exams] and very soon their final exams will take place and therefore we said they shouldn’t go home.”

Three students from GHANASCO were arrested for the arson attack and they are currently assisting police with investigations. There are also police patrols ensuring security on both campuses.