Kwahu Ridge SHTS denies first-year student admission over sickle cell condition

A first-year female student has reportedly been denied admission to Kwahu Ridge Senior High Technical School (SHTS) in the Eastern Region due to her health condition, several news outlets have reported.

Speaking on  Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem show, the 14-year-old student’s father, Gideon Kissi, alleged that his daughter was turned away because she has sickle cell disease.

According to him, he informed the management of the Kwahu Ridge Senior High Technical School (SHTS) about the child’s medical condition when he went to collect her prospectus.

He told the host of Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem that the School authorities allegedly instructed the family to provide her medical report upon reporting to school.

However, when the student arrived at the school on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, she was allegedly denied admission.

“Her mother took her to the school, and they were told she could not be admitted. The excuse was that the school has no vehicle to transport her to Atibie Government Hospital in case of a crisis. So they had to bring all her items back home. My daughter is distraught and sad because all her friends are in school,” Mr. Kissi said.

He added that efforts to obtain an official transfer letter or documentation to facilitate her placement in another second cycle school have so far failed.

“The plan was to seek admission at Kwahu SHS, which is closer to home so she could be a day student, but we’ve not been successful because the school refused to give us a letter or any document to assist us,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has cautioned headteachers of various Senior High Schools (SHSs) under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme against denying admission to students who have been duly placed in their schools.

The Education Minister speaking at the 32nd Annual Conference of Directors of Education held in Sunyani, in the Bono Region, also cautioned the head of schools against charging students unapproved fees.

Mr Haruna Iddrisu’s warning follows reports that some second-cycle school heads are frustrating the enrollment of first-year students and engaging in acts of extortion, particularly charging Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) fees.

The Education Minister described such practices as unacceptable and detrimental to the government’s vision of providing equitable access to free and quality education for all Ghanaian children.

He emphasized that every student placed through the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) must be admitted without discrimination or additional financial demands beyond the officially approved fees.

Mr Haruna, citing discipline, transparency, and fairness in the education sector, cautioned that any headteacher found guilty of misconduct will face appropriate administrative and legal sanctions.