Education Ministry mourns Lawra SHS students who drowned in Black Volta, orders probe
By Ernest Afram
The Ministry of Education has pledged immediate action and expressed condolences to the families and school community following the drowning of seven students from Lawra Senior High School. The students, all members of the school’s cadet corps, died on Saturday, June 14, 2025, when a canoe carrying ten of them capsized on the Black Volta River in the Upper West Region.
According to official reports, a group of ten students had completed a routine morning jogging exercise and attempted to cross the river near Dikpe, a border community close to Burkina Faso. Tragically, the canoe they boarded overturned midstream. While three students managed to survive, seven drowned — five girls and two boys.
The Ministry of Education, in a statement signed by Deputy Minister of Education and Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, conveyed its condolences to the bereaved families and the entire Lawra SHS community. The statement described the event as “an unexpected and heartbreaking turn of events” and emphasized that the Ministry was devastated by the loss of such young lives.
The Ministry noted that the bodies of all seven deceased students have been retrieved through a coordinated rescue effort involving the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the Ghana Police Service, and the Ghana Education Service (GES). The confirmation was relayed to the Ministry by the Upper West Regional Minister and the Member of Parliament for Lawra, both of whom visited the scene to support local authorities.
In the wake of the tragedy, the Minister of Education has directed the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service to immediately convene an emergency meeting involving the Regional and District Directors of Education, as well as the Headmaster of Lawra SHS. The meeting will investigate the full circumstances leading to the students’ attempt to cross the river, and a detailed report is expected as soon as possible.
While investigations are underway, the Ministry has assured the general public of its unwavering commitment to student safety and welfare. It stated that lessons must be drawn from the tragedy to prevent similar occurrences in the future, particularly in schools located near water bodies and other high-risk areas.
“We share in the grief of the affected families and the entire school community. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this extremely difficult time,” the Ministry added.
The Education Ministry revealed it is awaiting an official report from the Ghana Police Service to determine whether any safety protocols were breached and to guide its next steps.
It also called for national solidarity and support for the affected families during this moment of immense grief.
