Students divided over calls to ban fire rituals at Akenten Appiah-Menka University

Students of Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) have expressed mixed opinions regarding the performance of rituals by students at various halls of residence in the school.

This comes after the “Chief Priest” of the Opoku Ware II Hall caught fire, was severely injured, and subsequently died while performing rituals on August 25.

According to the students, they occasionally perform such rituals using fire as part of their recreational activities. They expressed shock over the incident.

Following the incident, there have been calls for such activities in the universities to be discontinued.

Speaking to Citi News, some students of the school are of the view that authorities should not prohibit such practices, since they are a source of entertainment. Others have strongly called for such acts to be stopped.

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.”

However, 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.”

Meanwhile, authorities of the school say they have commenced investigations into the incident.

The school’s management has also asked students to refrain from such activities that could potentially put their lives at risk.

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