Oreilly Students Face Transportation Challenges To New Site

The Headmistress of O'reilly Senior High School (SHS), Mrs Mary Adu Gyamfi, has expressed worry about the transportation challenges faced by the students since moving to its new site at Teshie in Accra.

She, has therefore, appealed to the Ministry of Education as a matter of agency to assist the school to get an additional school bus which would transport the students to and from the school .

Mrs Gyamfi said this on saturday when the past students association of the school donated a polytank to address the current water challenges faced by the school.

O'Reilly Senior High School earlier this year relocated to its permanent site at Okpoi Gonno, near Teshie, in the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly, after several years of struggle to get a permanent site.

The school,founded in 1925 by an Anglican Priest from Liberia, Rev. Ezekiel Festus O'Reill, had been struggling over the years with several relocations and payment of huge sums as rent.

It was founded in Korle Worko in Accra, and then moved to Tudu, then to James Town, to Kokomlemle, and then to Adabraka, before moving to its permanent site at Okpoi Gonno.

The school faced challenges such as congestion and several threats from various owners of the land they rented.

Faced with numerous infrastructure challenges, the school was nearly closed down and was even banned from admitting new students in 2010.

The permanent site, which according to authorities was given to the school during the Acheampong regime in the 1970's, had been heavily encroached, but the authorities of the school, together with other government officials, managed to acquire the land back for the school.

Mrs Mensah said although the Ministry of Education had managed to assist the school to acquire a 40-seater bus that plied the Teshie road to convey the students to and from the school compound, the current population of the school which was about 930 made it difficult for the bus to pick the students.

The situation, she said, had resulted in lateness and absenteeism, and had made it even more difficult for both teaching and non-teaching staff to see to the smooth running of the school's activities.

Mrs Adu-Gyamfi thanked the Old Students and called on all to support the future endeavours of the school.

At the presentation ceremony, the acting president of the Old Students Association, Mr Emmanuel Amoako Yirenkyi, underscored the need for Ghanaians to support the education sector since the country's development relied heavily on it.

According to him, government alone could not shoulder the cost of providing quality education unless it “ takes the support of all stakeholders”.