Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, on Monday, September 15, 2025, visited Zebilla Senior High School in the Bawku enclave to monitor the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
As part of heightened security measures due to the Bawku conflict, the Minister was offered a bulletproof jacket but declined to wear it. He explained that his decision was both deliberate and symbolic, stressing that such items have no place in an academic environment. According to him, wearing the jacket would have created unnecessary anxiety among students and undermined the sense of safety schools must embody.
“When I arrived at the home of the regional minister, I was given a bulletproof jacket to wear. I declined to wear it, not because I don’t value my life but because I also value yours. More importantly, it was to send a signal that bulletproof doesn’t belong in an academic learning environment. Even the mere presence of police and military in schools is worrying enough and does not provide a conducive atmosphere for learning,” he stated.
Concluding his remarks, Mr. Iddrisu conveyed President John Dramani Mahama’s best wishes to the candidates and encouraged them to remain focused and confident as they sit for their final examinations.
