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22.09.2012 General News

Relocation of Schools at Mining site at Gbane

By GNA
Relocation of Schools at Mining site at Gbane
22.09.2012 LISTEN

Bolgatanga, Sept. 21, GNA - The Talensi District Assembly and the Shanxi Mining Company is to relocate two schools at Gbane where the Company is mining.

This followed a GNA feature story on the need for the Schools to be relocated to prevent the basic school children from health hazards. The two basic Schools which were in the area before the arrival of the Mining Company are the Bonsa International and the Saint Anthony Public Schools.

This was made known at a Press Conference held in Bolgatanga on Wednesday by the District Assembly and the Shanxi Mining Company.

A statement signed and read by the Public Relations Officer of the Company, Mr Maxwell Woomah said” At the Saint Anthony Public School, the District Assembly and the Company has almost completed talks to relocate it. It is worth noting that the Bonsa International School was put up in the area as a temporary structure pending its movement later.”

“Talks between the Company and the Proprietor had progressed steadily and the Proprietor never hesitated relocating it at that time. However upon the arrival of the Chinese, expectations had heightened to the extent that the owners of the mud structure valued it at dizzy prices such that the Chinese, who had just disembarked from their planes and had very little idea about the providence yet could afford. What becomes the social acceptance thing to do was to allow the institution its environmental space to operate”

The District Chief Executive, Mrs Vivian Anafo, who did not take kind to the story, reiterated that the Assembly was aware of the situation and working towards relocating the schools.

She indicated that the mining community was very volatile and entreated the Media to exercise circumspection when reporting, stressing that the schools were built for the miners, who stayed in the area but the Assembly with it partners would relocate it.

Mrs Vivian Anafo blamed the weak structure of the school building with cracks to the poor execution of work by the contractor and not by the mining explosives.

Meanwhile the Assistant officer of the Mineral Commission, Kaye Mawufemor, stressed that they would monitor to ensure that the schools are relocated.

The writer of the feature story, Mr Samuel Adadi Akapule, who was at the Press Conference said he still stood by the story and said as much as he appreciated the trauma the story might have caused to the Assembly and the Company, he cannot compromise with his watchdog role of prompting and drawing the attention of Policy makers and other stakeholders about pertinent issues that needed to be addressed to avoid catastrophes.

“The innocent school children whose lives have been exposed to health hazards must be protected as stipulated in the Country's Constitution”, he stressed.

GNA

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