The Ashanti Regional Secretariat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on President Akufo-Addo and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to sanction headmasters who allowed the busing of Senior High School (SHS) students to the Bawumia Youth Connect programme held in the region.

Allegations have emerged that students from various schools, including Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI), were bused to the Kumasi Jubilee Park on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, to participate in the event during Vice President and NPP flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s campaign tour.

The NDC contends that this exposure of students to partisan politics is both unlawful and unsafe.

Addressing a press conference in Kumasi, the NDC Regional Chairman, Andrews Augustus Nana Kwasi, questioned why the GES and the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Adutwum, permitted such an occurrence.

He recalled the 2018 suspension of the Headmaster of Tempane Senior High School for allowing NDC’s then-aspiring National Organiser, Joshua Akamba, to interact with students, asserting that the recent incident was similar and should result in similar sanctions.

Nana Kwasi claimed that the governing NPP has lost popularity in their stronghold, leading to the busing of SHS students to the rally to artificially boost attendance and cover their decline in support.

He demanded that President Akufo-Addo and the GES take immediate action against the involved headmasters.