Abutia (V/R), March 9,GNA-The Abutia Secondary-Technical School would require 12 additional classrooms to avert a situation where students entering the school next year would have to hold classes under trees. The School with a student population of 320 currently has to make do with six classrooms which have to be used for various activities, including dining and administration.

"The students have their meals under trees when the weather is fair but have to do so in one of the classrooms when it happens to rain.", Mr. Gameli Ahorlu, Assistant Headmaster of the School told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Tuesday. He said two storey dormitory blocks; one each to accommodate 200 boys and 200 girls respectively were under construction and expected to be completed by the end of year. Mr. Ahorlu said more classrooms would then be needed for the expected increase in enrolment.

He said the school could take in many more students if it had the full compliment of classrooms.

Mr. Ahorlu said since the classrooms were provided 19 years ago by a German non-governmental organization none has been added. He said the school which began as a community school provided opportunities for several students from the locality including others from as far away as the Greater Accra and Eastern regions. Mr. Ahorlu said the school's academic performance has been improving steadily despite its numerous challenges and that greater success could be recorded when the full compliment of facilities was available to it. On entering the school one could see teachers sitting under trees which they said served as their staff common-room.

The inadequate infrastructure in the school is however made up for by the forest of trees and breezy air that greeted any visitor. "The environment for learning is apt", said Mr Samson Yekple, a graduate tutor and old student, who said he opted to teach in his alma mater as a role model and give back to it what he gained as a pioneer student. He was optimistic that with improvement in classroom facilities, dormitories and regular water supply, the school would hold its own among those that have preceded it.