Akatsi (V/R), June 24, GNA - Basic schools in the Akatsi District are on unofficial holiday as a result of bad roads and poor school infrastructure made worse by heavy rains in the district.

Teachers and pupils are quick to cite the situation as reason for staying away from school.

Supervision has come to a standstill because officers from the District Education Directorate cannot visit the schools due to impassable roads. Mr Anthony Abledu, Akatsi District Chief Executive, noticed this during an inspection of some projects in the district last Friday. At Moryi, about four kilometres from Akatsi for instance, there were only a handful of pupils in school that day and there were no teachers. Mr. Joy Kudeke, an opinion leader of the town, confirmed the problem pointing to an old four-unit classroom block whose roofs he said were ripped off in a rainstorm and had not been re-fitted.

Ms Ruth Zagblenku, Akatsi District Director of Education, said the situation was worse in communities such as Nyitawuta and Agormor. "I have tried for three consecutive days to visit schools along the Nyitawuta road without success due to the poor roads", she said. Ms Zagblenku said teachers could not take advantage of the situation to boycott school and that at least the head teachers ought to stay in the communities to ensure that normal school activities go on. Mr. Abledu said teachers in the district preferred staying at Akatsi and other bigger towns from where they commute by bicycles to schools in the outlying communities daily, hence their mass absenteeism during this time (rainy season) of the year.