SSS deserted due to lack of accommodation

Akatsi, Apr. 28, GNA- A community Senior Secondary School (SSS) constructed by the Akatsi District Assembly 10 years ago at Gefia has been abandoned by students and teachers due to lack of residential accommodation.

The Headmaster and a student, who together were the only two people in the school in February this year, have since stopped going to the school.

A report of the Social Sub-Committee of the Akatsi District Assembly at its First Ordinary Meeting of the Second Session on Tuesday said appeals to communities around the school to maintain their wards had failed leading to the demise of the school.

Togbe Doklo Akumsa VI, Chairman of the Committee who presented the report said the appeal followed an SOS message to the Assembly in February, this year, of the rapid withdrawal of students and the refusal of teachers including National Service Personnel to teach in the school. Mr Nicholas Negble, the District Chief Executive (DCE) said the Assembly would have to revive the school to make education accessible to people in the area.

Meanwhile, the Assembly has passed a vote of no confidence in the Headmaster, Mr E.K. Gamedoagbao for non-performance and subsequently placed an embargo on his allowances until the situation improved. Mr Negble in his sessional address said the Assembly was on course in its development programmes but expressed dissatisfaction about the downward trend in revenue generation.

He said out of 639.4 million cedis earmarked for collection last year, only 66.08 per cent of it was realised and cautioned that the Assembly faced imminent financial disaster as revenue from the traditional sources kept dwindling without new sources.

Mr Negble said a DANIDA sponsored inventory and selection was going on for the improvement of 82.4 kilometres of feeder roads at the cost of 2.68 billion cedis in the district.

He said the drilling of 12 boreholes in the district under the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP) in collaboration with the Assembly at the cost of 683 million cedis was completed in 12 communities. Mr Negble said 352 students were sponsored for various academic pursuits to the tune of 272.5 million cedis last year under the Assembly's scholarship scheme for brilliant but needy students. He said a total of 361 people have benefited under the Assembly's poverty alleviation loans to the tune of 615 million cedis. Mr Negble said 2.7 billion cedis from the Assembly Common Fund went into various community-based projects, including school infrastructure in 17 communities.

He said more than 11 billion cedis was spent on other projects including EU Micro Projects, VIP, Assembly Common Fund, GETFUND and HIPC Fund and said more than that figure had been earmarked for new projects this year.