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The Ministry of Education has expressed its deepest condolences to the families and community of Lawra Senior High School following the tragic death of seven students who drowned in the Black Volta River on Saturday, June 15, 2025.
According to reports, ten members of the school’s cadet corps were on a routine morning jogging exercise when they attempted to cross the river near Dikpe, close to the Ghana-Burkina Faso border.
The canoe carrying them capsized midstream, leading to the deaths of five girls and two boys. However, three students were rescued.
Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, in a statement confirmed the incident and described it as “unexpected and heartbreaking.”
Dr. Apaak, on behalf of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, extended the government’s heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families, the school, and the wider Lawra community.
According to the Ministry, the bodies of the deceased were retrieved by a joint rescue team made up of personnel from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Ghana Police Service, and the Ghana Education Service (GES).
In response to the tragedy, Minister Iddrisu has directed the Director-General of the GES to convene an emergency meeting with regional and district education directors, alongside the headmaster of Lawra SHS, to investigate the circumstances that led to the incident.
The Ministry also called for urgent recommendations on student safety measures to prevent a recurrence of such tragedies.
The statement noted, “On behalf of the Minister of Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu and government, I convey our deep shock and saddeness to the families of the seven students of Lawra Senior High School who lost their lives in a tragic boat incident on the morning of Saturday, June 15, 2025. In an unexpected and heartbreaking turn of events, ten students from the school’s cadet corps, during a routine morning jogging exercise, reportedly attempted to cross the Black Volta River near Dikpe into Burkina Faso. The canoe they joined tragically capsized midway through the journey.”
“We have confirmation through the Upper West Regional Minister and the Member of Parliament for Lawra that three of the ten students were rescued while seven drowned. The bodies of the seven students who lost their lives, five girls and two boys, have since been retrieved by teams from National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the Ghana Police Service, and the Ghana Education Service. The Honorable Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu has instructed the Director General of the Ghana Education Service to convene an urgent meeting with the Regional and District Directors of Education and the Headmaster of the school and to report back urgently.”
