Upper west wants GETFund to release funds for completion of SHS projects

Funsi (U/W), July 14, GNA – Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister, has appealed to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Administrator, to give priority to the two new Senior High Schools (SHSs) being established by the Government in the region by releasing funds for the completion of the projects.

Projects for the two SHSs, namely; Funsi SHS in the Wa East District and Dr. Hilla Limann SHS in the Sissala West District, were awarded on contract in 2009 and 2010 respectively and were expected to have been completed by March, 2012.

The schools, which are expected to take-off in September, 2012 are still far from completion; a situation which could affect the admission of students if the infrastructure is not tackled with utmost emergency.

Alhaji Sulemana made the appeal when he inspected the progress of work pending the take-off of the two schools in September.

At Funsi, Mr. Ameen Salifu, the Wa East District Chief Executive (DCE) took the Regional Minister and his entourage round to inspect a 12-Unit classroom block, an administration block, two semi-detached staff bungalows, an Assembly Hall and a 500 bed capacity dormitory for girls.

The projects, which were being constructed at an initial sum of GH¢1,651,096 were being funded by GETFund with five of them still in their advance stages of completion.

Alhaji Sulemana also inspected a two storey building hostel facility at the Tumu College of Education, an ultra modern dining hall structures at the Tumu Senior High Technical School (SHTS) and Kanton SHS all in the Sissala East District.

Mr. Morrow Issahaku, the Principal of the Tumu College of Education said the project was initially a masters' bungalow but they had to convert it into a student hostel facility in anticipation for government increasing college enrolment from 9,000 to 11,000 in next academic years.

Madam Alijata Sulemana, the Sissala East DCE, who conducted the Minister round promised to give Tumu SHTS a mechanized borehole to address the challenge of inadequate water supply to the school.

At Gwollu, Mr. Moses Dramani Luri, the Sissala West DCE took the Minister round to inspect a total of 12 projects all for the Dr. Hilla Limann SHS.

The projects include a 12-Unit classroom block, a dining hall, two dormitory blocks, an administration/laboratory block, two number, three bedroom bungalows for staff, four number semi-detached bungalows and an ultra modern library block.

The Minister expressed satisfaction at the pace of work and appealed to the contractors to speed up work to enable the school to take off smoothly in September.

GNA