The Ministry of Education has expressed profound sorrow over the tragic drowning of seven students from Lawra Senior High School (SHS) following a canoe accident on the Black Volta River on Saturday, June 14.
According to an official statement signed by Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, the students were part of a 10-member cadet corps who had embarked on a routine morning jogging exercise. The tragedy occurred near Dikpe, a community along the Ghana–Burkina Faso border, when the canoe they were using to cross the river capsized.
The Ministry confirmed that three students survived, while seven—five girls and two boys—tragically lost their lives. Their bodies were later recovered by joint rescue teams from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Ghana Police Service, and the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Following the incident, the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed the Director-General of GES, Prof. Ernest Davis, to immediately convene an emergency meeting. The meeting, involving the Regional and District Directors of Education and the headmaster of Lawra SHS, is aimed at launching a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The Ministry’s statement followed a briefing from the Upper West Regional Minister, Akamugri Donatus Atanga, and the Member of Parliament for Lawra, Bede Ziedeng, both of whom visited the site and received updates from local authorities.
The Ministry extended its condolences to the bereaved families, the school community, and the entire nation, describing the incident as a devastating loss.
