Viral Ghana National College death report dates back to 2018 – GES
A report about the death of a first-year student at Ghana National College has resurfaced online more than eight years after the incident, prompting the Ghana Education Service (GES) to clarify that no recent student death has been recorded at the school.
The case concerns Ruby Teiko, a 17-year-old student who died in May 2018 following a medical emergency during a dormitory inspection at the Cape Coast-based school.
GES issued the clarification on Thursday, November 5, after reports circulated on social media and news platforms presenting the incident as a recent occurrence.
In a Facebook post, the Service said: “No student has passed away at Ghana National College. This particular reported demise occurred in 2018.”
It accused unidentified individuals of reviving the case in a manner that could reopen the family’s grief and unfairly damage the reputation of the school’s teachers, housemistresses and management.
The original incident was reported by Adom News on May 22, 2018. At the time, Ruby’s father, Amanor Okine, alleged that his daughter, who had asthma, complained of breathing difficulties twice while a dormitory inspection was underway at Elsie Dadzie Hall.
He claimed that she was told by staff to wait until the inspection ended before receiving assistance. She later collapsed and was taken to Cape Coast Government Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival, according to the report.
The allegations prompted a response from the school’s management in 2018. The then headmistress, Juliana Owusu-Ansah, denied that the school was negligent and said authorities had done what they could to assist the student.
The renewed circulation of the report has therefore brought an old case back into public discussion, despite GES’s clarification that it did not involve a recent death.
The Service has urged the public to stop sharing the reports as current news, warning that doing so could cause further distress to the bereaved family and unfairly affect the school’s reputation.
Source: CNR
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