General News of Friday, 21 July 2006

Source: GNA

Shama SSS has no blackboards in new classrooms

Shama (W/R), July 18, GNA - The Shama Senior Secondary School would face extreme difficulties, when the next academic year begins in September this year.

The school, which is one of the model SSS being constructed nationwide, does not have blackboards in most of the newly constructed two-storey classrooms, the school does not have an assembly hall to host the students and it does not also have a headmasters bungalow.

Mr Kojo Atta-Obeng, Headmaster of the school told Mr Anthony E. Amoah, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwesi Blay, his deputy and Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Chief Executive, when they paid a working visit to the school on Monday.

Mr Atta-Obeng said the school had acquired land for the headmaster's bungalow, but nothing had been done yet.

He told the delegation that he had persistently told the contractors that, they must provide blackboards in the new classroom blocks but the contractors had ignored this.

Mr Atta-Obeng said a two-storey classroom block financed by the GETFUND and was to be handed over in 2003 was now at the roofing stage. He said the slow pace of work would make it extremely difficult for the school to move to its new site.

Mr Atta-Obeng said only a few of the structures had been completed but yet to connected to water and electricity.

The Regional Minister, Mr Amoah pledged to have a meeting with the various contractors working on the school projects to intensify their efforts to enable more students to benefit from the improved infrastructure.

At the Baidoe-Bonsu SSS at Agona Nkwanta, the entire constructional work had been completed and the school management was waiting to be connected to water and electricity. Rev. John O. Magnus, headmaster told the minister and his entourage including Mr Kwesi Biney, District Chief Executive for Ahanta West, that the rehabilitation and provision of new infrastructure had improved the status and outlook of the school.

He said the student population was expected to increase rapidly when the entire facilities become operational. Mr Amoah asked the school management to contact their old students to assist in other areas of the school to enable them solve some its problems. 18 July 06