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Bolgatanga Technical Institute (BOTECH), was temporarily closed down on Saturday after students went on a riot when two of their mates fell from the second floor of the of the three storey building dormitory.

Narrating their ordeal to The Chronicle, the students said they were asleep and at dawn heard people screaming “fire fire fire”. This woke them from their sleep, with some of them jumping to the ground for safety. In the process, three of them sustained injuries, with one in critical condition.

They were taken to the regional hospital, where the critically injured victim was referred to the Tamale Teaching Hospital for attention. The referred student fractured his leg and also bled from his nose and ears. The other two were treated and discharged.

While the injured were been treated, the rest of the students went on a rampage. Joined by their female counterparts, the students mounted road blocks at the entrance of the school and dared anyone who wanted to pass to be ready for the worse.

The concern of the infuriated students was that they had made several appeals to management of the school to replace the rusted protective metal bars, but their plea had fallen on deaf ears.

Last Saturday’s incident was the third time. Early last year, a student in a similar fashion jumped to his death from the same floor. In that incident, the students agitated but they were assured by management that the bars would be replaced. However, this promise was not fulfilled and one year on, a similar accident has occurred.

The principal of BOTECH, Mr. Thomas Abare, who confirmed the incident, said management was yet to meet with the education directorate in the municipality to resolve the issue before the students were recalled.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mabison Amokasi, Bolgatanga Municipal Director of Education, who went to school to calm the students down was hooted at and driven out of the school premises.