Asuoso E-Block: School authorities express worry over truancy and pregnancies among students

Management of Asuoso Senior High School in the Offinso North District has bemoaned a growing indiscipline lifestyle among students ahead of the final WASSCE examination.

The school ahead of the exams has fielded pregnant, freshly delivered, and non-punctual candidates due to lack of absolute control over them outside school hours.

The school which is one of the previous government’s Community Day E-Block projects is located between Asempanaye and Asuoso off the Kumasi-Techiman Highway with distance away from both nearby communities where students attend to school from rented apartments in the villages

Headmaster of the School Mr. Emmanuel Teye Adebi-Ceasar attributed the cause of rampant indiscipline and immorality among students of the school to the non-availability of a boarding facility and the distance from the school premises to where they reside in their rented homes.

This he said does not enable them to take full control of them in order to discipline them and stop them from engaging in sexual immoralities and the laxity of absenteeism.

“It’s a big challenge for us; a lot of the students come from far distances such as Nsenuah having to get to school with the use of ‘Okada’ from that place to Asempanaye and to school. Others from Asuoso, etc in rented rooms and so the day some of them lacks money for TNT, they decide to stay back and for the girls in particular, they are always after men since they are out of parental and teacher control at the moment they’re all alone in the community” a lot of them have been impregnated, some have given birth, others have not yet”, Mr. Caesar explained

When asked of his expectations prior to the impending WASSCE examinations from the pioneer candidates in the midst of this canker, he reacted affirmatively clouded with deep worry over the conduct. “Hmmm….. I’m expecting good results but their conduct is nothing to write home about, they don’t come to school, they’re living alone in their rented apartments so their movements is not being checked, that’s the big problem, lack of punctuality, they choose to come to school when they please, so we are expecting the few who are punctual to sit up so we can make some impact”, he expressed to Cruz News

Speaking to our reporter, he said plans both permanent and interim have been employed to curb the menace by means of providing infrastructure and apartments closed to the school. The permanent structure being put up in the school to house the kids is championed by the Member of Parliament Hon. Augustine Collins Ntim whilst by support from the assembly, a short-term measure is being put in place to get them closer to the school and assign a master to control them.

Another worrying situation pointed out by the head teacher is car crashes as at least 4 people including a Teacher have been crushed to death since he assumed office as head of the school thereby appealing to authorities for speed rumps to be constructed at that portion of the road

“I’ve written to authorities with follow ups for construction of speed rumps at our part of the road, we again raised the issue at board meeting where NADMO Coordinator promised of working on that” “since I came here, at least 4 lives have perished one of whom was my Maths Teacher, another a student and some two others due to over speeding”, the headmaster recounted to Issah Nabila

District Nadmo Director, Hon. Mamoah Elijah doubles as government appointee at the assembly confirmed knowledge of the matter via a phone interview with SK De Broadcaster and assured arrangements are advanced towards resolution.

The ultra-modern facility although has a Teachers' bungalow and assembly hall attached, dining hall, and a playing field are part of the missing components in the edifice.

It also came to notice how two beautiful spacious halls meant to be used for computer/E-Labs are without computers and furniture for the intended purposes threatening the students ability to excel in ICT studies.

Cruz Newsroom