The Gowrie Secondary/Technical School in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region has been closed down following students rampage on Wednesday. The rampaging students beat up their teachers and threw stones and other offensive weapons at them in protest against the school’s headteacher. They are demanding the dismissal of the headteacher for maladministration. Acting Regional Director of Education Agnes Atagade described the situation in the school as “volatile”, necessitating its closure. Sounding very worried, Madam Atagade was surprised that even the presence of some high profile personalities could not cow the students into submissive as they chased out the teachers under their full glare. She condemned the students’ action, noting that if the students claim they did not like the food being given them as well as the demeanor of the headteacher, there was an appropriate medium they could have channeled their grievances for resolution. “But when we were there with the District Chief Executive and the police commander and the district director [of education] we heard some noise that they were chasing the masters and stoning them. They have canes looking for those masters to cane them." Madam Atagade said after careful assessment of the situation “we don’t know what will happen if we leave the [volatile] situation [unattended]. So we are going to close down the school until tempers settle down”. She said a committee would be set up to investigate the riot and come out with its recommendations “then we will see how best we can solve the problem”. Joy FM’s Upper East Regional correspondent Joseph Osei throwing more light on the circumstances leading to the rampage said the school authorities decided to punish some students who refused to take part in a cleanup exercise in the school on Saturday. However, some of the students felt the punishment given them was too harsh and again refused to comply with it. “They organized themselves earlier this morning (Wednesday) when classes were going on and started throwing stones [at the teachers]. Some of them were holding matches, sticks,” Osei reports. Sensing danger, he said the teachers decided to run for their life but an assistant headteacher and a senior housemaster were not lucky as the students caught up with them and beat them up. They were taken to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital for treatment. Story by Isaac Essel./Myjoyonline.com/Ghana