School infrastructure deficit gap in North Tongu to be over soon - DCE

Battor, Nov. 15, Mr. Richard Collins Arku, North Tongu District Chief Executive (DCE) has assured that the age-old school infrastructure shortfall facing the district would soon be a thing of the past.

He said the Assembly was running a targeted school infrastructure priority plan to remove deprived and under tree schools in months to spark teacher and pupil enthusiasm for enrolment and teacher retention to enhance quality teaching and learning.

Mr. Richard Collins Arku, District Chief Executive (DCE) was addressing a Meet-the-Press programme under the auspices of the Ministries Local Government and Rural Development (MLRD) and Information (MoI) to highlight Government's flagship projects and the Assembly's works at Battor.

Mr. Arku said two schools that operated under raffia sheds since early 1950 at Dorfor-Agorweme and Zomayi, had six-unit classroom blocks, with ancillary facilities built for them and stocked with classroom furniture.

He said a three-unit block and a two-unit Kindergarten block with ancillary facilities have also just been built for similar deprived schools at Bukarikope and Jordan-Tornu.

According to the DCE, the Assembly has since completed all projects it inherited, including three-unit classroom blocks at Milenu, Tsidzenu, Mepe, Azagonorkope and a five-unit teachers' quarters at Ayiwata, as well as completing first face of a one storey teachers' quarters at Volo.

He said 300 dual desks have been distributed among Basic schools and another 20 dinning hall tables and 40 benches given to St. Kizito Senior High at Mepe, and re-roofed Pordoe E.P Basic school block ripped off in a rainstorm.

Mr. Arku said a12-unit seaters ongoing water closet toilet at Battor Senior High, where two blocks of 18-unit classroom facility was also built, and a six-unit block was completed at Aveyime-Battor Senior High.

On health, he said a two-bedroom semidetached nurses quarters and a Doctors' bungalow have been built at Mepe and Aveyime and two CHPs Compounds completed at Deve and Alabonu.

Mr. Arku, on Government flagship projects, said a total of 800 farmers benefited of 8,661 bags of subsidised compound fertilizer, 360 litres liquid fertilizer, and 500 bags of hybrid rice and maize seedlings at 50 percent subsidized rates supplied this year under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ).

He said under the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), 9000 cashew seedlings were distributed to 13 schools and 11 individual farmers, planting a total of 128 acres of it, while a pickup and seven motor bikes were given to Agricultural Extension officers to aid the flagship and general agriculture.

Under the Free Senior High School project, involving removal of all cost barriers, a total of 2,874 students including 1,250 girls in five SHSs in the area are benefiting this year.

In the area of security, Mr. Arku announced the opening of a District Police Command at Juapong, weaning the area from the Peki Police Command and two modern police stations built at Fodzoku and Volo.

He said with the construction of the Adidome-Volo-Juapong road linking the Accra-Ho highway and the Ho-Adidome-Soakope trunk road, commercial and related crime activities would increase along that corridor, requiring effective policing.

Mr. Arku announced plans of building an ultra modern Circuit Court block at Battor for administration of security and justice and urged the people to support the Government to execute its mandates.