78 Basic Schools In Accra Need Rehabilitation

A total of 78 basic school structures in the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) of the Greater Accra Region, are in various stages of disrepair and, therefore, need urgent rehabilitation.

Most of the structures are so bad that they have to be demolished and rebuilt.

The Metropolitan Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr J. Nii Okaija Dinsey, who disclosed this in an interview, mentioned some of the affected schools as the Mamprobi Market '2' JHS, Teshie '8' JHS, Danboi JHS, Mpoasei Methodist Primary, Gbegbeyise JHS and Sackey Odoi JHS.

He said the Mamprobi Ebenezer '2' JHS, for instance, had been abandoned, because it was no longer safe for students to study in it, while some of the school structures needed complete re-roofing, replastering, ceiling, painting, replacement of doors, windows and locks.

Furthermore, he said, while some of the schools with wooden structures were very weak, the others had remained uncompleted for some years now.

On the Amusudai JHS, he said AMA was prepared to rehabilitate the building, but had run into difficulties because of a dispute over ownership of the land on which the school was sited.

He, however, gave the assurance that the government was working hard towards the re-location of the school.

He conceded that the assembly was overwhelmed with financial commitments and was lookiong up to the government to take up the rehabilitation works of school structures.

The Budget Officer of the GES, Metro, Mr S.O. Awuku, said it would be proper for the central government to take over the rehabilitation and reconstruction of school buildings through the GETFund.

He said every year, his office normally submitted a list of schools that needed rehabilitation, and in some cases, a list of schools which needed complete rebuilding and refurbishment.

Mr Awuku, however, expressed regret that in most cases, a single structure was not tackled, because the AMA had no funds.