The performance of rituals by students at different halls of residence within the school has drawn mixed reactions from Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) students.
This follows the death of the Opoku Ware II Hall’s “Chief Priest” on August 25 while performing rituals, had caught fire, been seriously hurt, and subsequently passed away.
The students claim that they occasionally engage in such fire-based rituals as a form of entertainment. Concerning the incident, they expressed shock.
There have been calls to stop such activities in universities since the incident.
According to some students at the school who spoke to Accra-based Citi FM, authorities should not forbid such behaviors because they provide entertainment.
However, other have vehemently demanded that such actions cease.
A student who is calling for the cancellation of the rituals argued, “It should be banned. Although, it’s part of socialization in the school, but at the end of it, what are students getting from it? Are they getting something that will develop them, and shape them to become good citizens in the country and the school as such? Is the school getting any benefits from it? No, so looking at the incident, you are a guy you have completed school, that is when you have to enjoy yourself, you make fun of it. How can you make fun with fire and petrol? What are you going to get from it? So I think the school should ban it.”
Another student who kicked against the cancellation of the rituals on campus said, “Those things shouldn’t be banned, it’s part of university life. Once you have moved from your house to here, you are to learn all those things. Some of us have social problems at home, so if you come here and do those things, it eases stress and mental problems. So I don’t think it should be banned, but we should be careful about how we do it. We should do it in a safe way.”
Authorities at the school have reportedly begun looking into the incident in the interim.
The administration of the school has also urged students to abstain from such actions that could endanger their lives.
