The Eastern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has ordered the temporary closure of Hark Mount Sinai Senior High School and Okuapeman Senior High School in the Akuapem North Municipality after violent clashes between students of the two schools left several people injured and caused extensive damage to school property.
The disturbances occurred at about 2 a.m. on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, prompting the deployment of security personnel to the schools to restore calm.
Several students and a police officer sustained injuries during the clashes, while parts of both schools were set ablaze.
At Okuapeman SHS, six students were injured and taken to hospital for medical attention. The headmaster said four of the students had been treated and discharged, while two remained on admission.
The fire at Okuapeman SHS destroyed the Visual Arts studio, a teachers’ office and seven classrooms. Examination papers, certificates, furniture and other school property were also reportedly destroyed.
At Hark Mount Sinai SHS, a storeroom and the boys’ washroom were among facilities burnt during the disturbances.
The clashes also involved students throwing stones, resulting in injuries to a police officer deployed with other security personnel to contain the situation.
Following the incident, a REGSEC delegation led by the Eastern Regional Minister and Chairperson of the Council, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, visited both schools to assess the damage and engage school authorities and students.
The delegation included the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Owusu-Bempah; Regional Director of Education, Dr. Ivy Owusu Asantewaa; and the Regional Liaison Officer of the National Security Secretariat, Francis Annor Dompreh, among other officials.
Addressing students, Madam Awatey described the incident as unfortunate, particularly at a time when the government was investing in infrastructure and improving facilities in senior high schools across the country.
She warned that students identified as having played key roles in the violence, including those involved in destroying school property or attacking security personnel, would be dealt with in accordance with the law.
We are building a nation; we are not destroying a nation. We are resetting, and that includes resetting you. Investigations are going on; those who started throwing the stones will not be allowed to go scot-free,” she said.
The Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Owusu-Bempah, expressed concern over the alleged attacks on police officers and cautioned students against resorting to violence or taking the law into their own hands.
He said the security agencies would work to identify and prosecute students found to have been responsible for the disturbances.
The Eastern Regional Director of Education, Dr. Ivy Owusu Asantewaa, urged students to leave the campuses peacefully and assured them that the Ghana Education Service (GES) would not protect anyone found to have participated in the violence.
It doesn’t take one person to fight; it takes two or more. We are not happy with what has happened. You are here to study and avail yourself to be morally upright, and so you need to comport yourselves,” she said.
Under the REGSEC directive, students of Hark Mount Sinai SHS are required to vacate the campus by 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 2, while students of Okuapeman SHS are expected to leave the campus on the morning of Thursday, September 3.
The closure is expected to provide security agencies and school authorities with an opportunity to restore order, assess the damage and advance investigations into the circumstances surrounding the clashes.
This version avoids the somewhat awkward “classrooms burnt” construction in the original headline and gives the story a stronger hard-news lead.
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