President John Dramani has expressed his belief schools under trees will be eliminated completely if all governments in power prioritize removing them.

He noted his government has so far eliminated over 1, 700 schools under trees out of the estimated 4, 200 existing nationwide.

According to him, if government continues at the rate it’s eliminating these schools, it should be able to take out all the 4, 200 by 2020.

"I think that we should completely eliminate schools under trees…I remember that in 2010 when we did the survey, it was said that there were 4, 200 schools under trees; since then, we’ve kept taking them out and I must say we’ve taken out more than 1, 700 schools under trees; and I believe that over the next five years, up to 2020, if we should continue at the rate we are going, we should be able to take out all the 4, 200 schools under trees,’’ President Mahama said in an interview with Radio BAR as part of his 'Accounting to the People' tour.

President Mahama explained that government has shown commitment to eliminating schools under trees.

"…One of the things we’ve done as part of central government investing in removing these schools; we also have requested the district assemblies common fund to enjoin every district assembly to build two schools every year. And so they must take out two schools under trees every year…We have 216 district assemblies, so if each assembly is building two schools a year that already is 432 schools every year. And so if by the survey that we have, we still have about a little over 2,000 schools under trees.

"Then building 432 schools even at the district assembly level alone would almost have taken them out not to talk about central government’s commitment; GETFUND is also taking out schools under trees and then central government is also budgeting for it. So I believe that notwithstanding, any administration that is on, if they continue the policy that we have started, by 2020, the 4, 200 schools that we surveyed would have been taken out completely,’’ he added.

He was, however, quick to add that, the process of eliminating schools under trees should be a continuous process even if the current figure is completely removed due to the increase in population.

‘’Human settlement continues to occur. So as you are taking out these 4, 200, new settlements are coming… and children are being born in these settlements who will need a school. So am not saying that after we take out these 4, 200, there won’t be another 300/200 that have suddenly cropped up, and so is a process we have to continue no matter the government in power.’’