When Politics Fails Our Children: The Apam Salvation Basic School Saga

This is the tragic reality at Apam Salvation Basic School, where political ego and self-aggrandizement have officially triumphed over the dignity, safety, and education of our children.

For years, the school sat in ruin—a monument to abandoned promises and official indifference. But desperate teachers refused to stay silent. They took a bold step, documenting the deplorable conditions in photos and marching straight to Captaine Smart, an aspiring Member of Parliament for Gomoa West. According to Dhanny Bhoy, "I remember that day vividly. It was during the sod-cutting ceremony for the new DVLA office complex, and I was right there beside Captaine Smart when those heartbreaking images were handed over to him."

The action man, Captaine Smart, was swift in his response. That very afternoon, he inspected the grounds and made a firm promise: the renovation would happen within a week, the moment vacation started. True to his word, building materials began arriving days later, ready for work to commence the instant the students stepped out.

Then, the power plays began. The Ghanaian political ecosystem, which allows innocent citizens to suffer for the sake of political prominence, reared its ugly head.

Threatened by Smart's developmental initiative on a project they had neglected for years, the MP for Gomoa West, Hon. Richard Gyan-Mensah, and the District Chief Executive (DCE), Alhaji Kassim Mohammad, rushed in their own supplies to salvage the situation. These actions were driven not by a love for the children, but by a desperate need to guard their political titles and prop up their dwindling image. Their needless intervention halted the project and forced Mr. Smart to retreat under the guise of the government's intervention.

Now, vacation is over. The children have resumed. And what did they return to? A school whose refurbishment is still ongoing. The roofing is unfinished, and all the pupils have been crammed elsewhere. This is a clear demonstration of an unplanned, needless show of power that has affected innocent kids.

Worse yet, information gathered indicates these displaced students have been forced to crowd into an already struggling facility that is short on basic furniture. The irony is stark: children who should be learning comfortably are now compelled to study in an overcrowded environment. The question is—would the current MP and DCE allow their own children to attend such a school?

Incidentally, unconfirmed sources indicate a similar script played out at Apam Methodist School.

Team Captaine is not against development in any shape or form. However, we frown upon situations where ego and unwarranted political importance thwart developmental efforts.

Going forward, we ask the hard questions:

1. Why would Hon. Richard Gyan-Mensah, alongside the DCE, allow children to go through such an ordeal?
2. What was their plan for the school's refurbishment?
3. Why would they wait for Team Captaine to commence work before using governmental power to halt it?
4. Is this not an affront to the performance of the MP and DCE?
5. Is the MP truly cut out for the job required of him?
6. Why not simply step aside and allow Captaine Smart to save the situation? Is the fear of a ruined political image greater than the welfare of our children?

Reliable intelligence suggests that most of the MP's Common Fund has been spent on funeral donations and other frivolities instead of improving lives and livelihoods, including school refurbishments.

These actions in reference to the Apam Salvation Basic School are akin to the general political landscape in Ghana—a landscape where citizens are taken for granted and treated as commodities, important only during elections.

The reality has dawned on the people and the current leadership: the people of Gomoa West already know the leadership has failed, and there is nothing left to prove. If Hon. Richard Gyan-Mensah cannot build the future for our children, it would be appropriate for him to step out of the way and allow Captaine Smart—the man with the gravitas, the heart, and the will—to continue his rescue mission of Gomoa West. He may choose to compete, but the overwhelming popular appeal for Smart would surely be reflected during the upcoming National Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries.