19 Students Of TAGISS Nearly Killed After Eating Harmful Kenkey

The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) has uncovered what nearly cost the lives of nineteen (19) female students of the Tamale Girls International Senior High School (TAGISS) in the Northern Regional capital of Ghana.

According to Savannahnews sources within the Northern Regional Office of the BNI, intelligence information gathered on September 18, 2012 at TAGISS confirmed, that the 19 students suffered severe diarrhoea following the consumption of unwholesome Kenkey sold by a food vendor on September 17, 2012.

The unfortunate incident led to the hospitalization of the affected students at the Tamale West Hospital for several days. Even though the kenkey seller was asked to stop selling, Savannahnews sources in the school revealed that she was still bring food to sell to the students.

The school, which had no safe drinking water for a student population of about 600, also forced the helpless girls to rely on polluted water under a bridge on the Tamale-Buipe-Kumasi highway and running water in a farm close to the school. These two water bodies are believed to be polluted with human excreta apparently washed into them by frequent rains. 

The BNI, our sources revealed, also uncovered that the school had no toilet facilities, no housemistress, no headmaster or headmistress, no permanent or fully employed teachers, except National Service Personnel and National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) teachers who were engaged by the proprietor, but  were paid with the tax payers’ money.  

TAGISS, which is located at Datoyili along the Tamale-Buipe-Kumasi Highway and about five miles away from the centre of Tamale, had congested and poorly ventilated dormitories (50 students per dorm) as well as running water in a rice field as its main source of water, according to an investigative report compiled by the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly’s Sub-committee on Education.  

Established in 1997 by educationist, businessman and politician Albert Atutiga, TAGISS lacked certain important basic facilities that were needed in order to ensure a complete accomplishment of second cycle education.

Thus, the report of the Sub-committee on Education signed by its Chairman Alhaji Adam Abubakari Takoro, recommended to the proprietor Mr. Atutigah to decongest the dormitories of the school, provide staff list and indicate their last schools attended as well as their academic qualifications.

It also recommended that the proprietor appointed or engaged the services of a housemistress and a substantive headmaster for effective supervision and monitoring of the welfare of the students.

The report also asked the proprietor of TAGISS to acquire a vehicle for the school due to the long distance between it and any health facility and other amenities for the students. 

The Committee’s report further charged the proprietor of TAGISS Mr. Albert Atutigah to form a viable Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and immediately reduce lateness levy from GH¢20.00 to an economically acceptable amount for students.

Meanwhile, Mr. Albert Atutigah confessed to the Committee that men were sexually harassing the students of his school, Tamale Girls International Senior High School due to lack of security.