Ashanti Region School under siege by snakes

Akrofrom (Ash), July 26, GNA - A big cobra attached pupils of the Akrofrom Primary School in the Atwima Mponua District last Thursday but none of the pupils was bitten.

Briefing Ghana News Agency on the rampant invasion of the school by snakes, Mr Asiedu Boye, the head teacher, expressed the fear that unless the school was re-located disaster might befall the school through snakebites.

He said at least, one snake is killed everyday in the school. ''The situation has gripped most pupils with fear and they have become too cautious in their activities, especially in the classrooms." Mr Boye said the school block, which was built more than 40 years ago had never been rehabilitated and that the dilapidated nature of the roofs, doors and windows had made it accessible to the snakes and other creatures.

Meanwhile, a new ultramodern six-classroom block with an office and a store has been put up for the school on the same plot of land but for several weeks after its completion, the keys to the building have not been handed over to the school.

He said the community had not settled its 25 million cedis debt, being its 10 per cent contribution to the total cost of the project. The Social Investment Fund (SIF) funded the 225 million cedis building. Mr Kwaku Boakye, a member of the committee that represented the community on the project explained that the citizens had, through communal labour, settled about 15 million cedis out of the 25 million cedis.

He, however, mentioned that poverty was rife in the area, hence the difficulty in paying the remaining 10 million cedis. Mr Boye said the school must be allowed to use the new building as the PTA was working on how to settle the debt.

He also appealed to non-resident citizens to assist in the payment of the outstanding debt.