SHS denies boy admission because he is an ex-convict

The dreams of 23-year-old Abu Safianu Yahaya becoming a nurse hangs in balance after a secondary school he is had admission to failed to admit him after learning that he was an ex-convict.

According to Abu who contacted Crime Check foundation to help him seek admission, he has been to three senior high schools namely Awe Senior High School, Fumbisi Senior High School and the Sandema Senior High School all in the Northern Region after getting to know he was an ex-con.

He explained that he sat for the BECE during his prison sentence and passed with an aggregate of 16.

Narrating his experience at the schools he revealed that;

“All the schools I tried to get admission to asked me to go back to my former school for a recommendation letter before they can admit me. The Awe SHS headteacher after reading the recommendation from the Kumasi Central Prison where I wrote my BECE, told me unless I go to the Ghana Education Service head office in Accra he wouldn’t be in the position to admit me.”

He added that “the Fumbisi Headteacher who seemed willing to admit me said he would get into trouble if he enrols me in the school”.

Speaking on why he was spending time in prison, he revealed that he had joined some bad boys in Kumasi and he got arrested after snatching a ladies handbag.

He was sentenced to twelve years in prison after he was found guilty but he was later released after spending four years behind bars and the passing of his dad and the family needed him to perform a ritual since he is the first male born of the father.

“I engaged in untoward behaviour for sometime before my conviction. Now, I have repented.”

“The appeal of my sentence cost Six Thousand Ghana cedis. The money was raised by one of my uncles. I am my father’s first male child so I was needed to be present to enable the family to carry out the ritual,” he added.

He called on the government to step in because he has been contemplating committing suicide since society is not ready to accept him.