GES holds crisis meeting to address hooliganism in inter-school sports

The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, together with his Management Team, held a crisis meeting on Monday, 23rd February, 2026, in response to the incidents of violence and assault cases recorded during the ongoing inter-school sports competitions in some districts of the Central region.

Who was in attendance?

The Central Regional delegation included the Regional Director of Education, Dr Mrs Juliette Dufie Otami, the Agona West Municipal Director of Education, Mr Bismark Mfaafo Offei, the Cape Coast Metro Director of Education, Mr Thomas Kwofie, the Abura Asebu Kwamankesse District Director of Education, Madam Mary Cudjoe, and the Ag Director of Education for Awutu Senya District, Mr Frank Etrue Hayford.

Also, all the headmasters of Aggrey Memorial SHS, Adisadel College, Swedru School of Business, Obrachire SHTS and Kwanyako SHTS attended the meeting. The Regional Physical Education/Sports Coordinator, Regional PRO, Zonal Sports Executive and Coordinators, as well as some of the affected students and their parents were part of the meeting. The Technical Advisor to the Minister for Education, Prof George K.T. Oduro, also graced the meeting.

What did they discuss?

The Regional Director and her team provided detailed eyewitness accounts of the incidents that have been happening across the region, outlined what transpired, discussed the causes, immediate steps taken, and proposed measures to strengthen safety and security during future inter-school sporting events. The Director-General unequivocally condemned the acts of violence and expressed strong dissatisfaction at the level of aggression displayed by some students. He emphasised that such conducts undermine the core values of discipline, sportsmanship and mutual respect that school competitions are intended to promote.

He further underscored the importance of school games as platforms for discovering and nurturing talent, while fostering unity among schools. He noted that football and the traditional games generally have become increasingly lucrative, and students with passion and talent must be properly guided and supported to build successful careers through sports. The Director-General also endorsed the Central Regional Director’s decision to suspend all sporting activities pending thorough investigations into the reported incidents.

Management expressed relief, based on firsthand confirmation, that no death was recorded, contrary to false reports circulated in sections of the media. In fact, the student who was erroneously reported to have died was present at the meeting. He, among other victims, who were hospitalised, have been discharged and are currently receiving and responding to medical care and attention.

Police have arrested the perpetrators of the Obrachire SHTS student

It was refreshing to learn, also, that the perpetrators of the assaults have been arrested and are assisting the police with investigations. A student of Obrachire Senior High Technical School was captured on camera, where students of Sweduru Business School were pelting him with stones, much to the surprise of Ghanaians.

Director General of Education’s warning to hooligans

The Director-General stated firmly that any student found to have engaged in acts of assault would face appropriate sanctions in accordance with the laws of Ghana and the regulations of the Ghana Education Service.