The Tema Metropolitan Education Directorate in collaboration with the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) on Tuesday, cut sod for the construction of a two-storey office complex at Tema Community Two.

The building, which is expected to be completed within nine calendar months, will have 28 offices including the Metropolitan Director’s office, 33 water closet toilets, an ICT centre and a conference hall.

Mrs Margaret Nsiah-Asamoah, Tema Metropolitan Education Director, in a welcoming address, said the Directorate which is as old as Tema, had been operating from a temporal accommodation provided by the TDC Development Company which also donated the land for the construction of the new office.

Mrs Nsiah-Asamoah added that despite the lack of a permanent office for its operations, the Directorate over the years gave birth to three directorates at Ashaiman, Adenta and Kpone-Katamanso municipalities while it had oversight duties on the newly created Tema West.

She stated that “it is timely that we have our own permanent accommodation that will befit our status as a pioneer education directorate overseeing Ghana’s industrial hub”.

She added that her outfit currently oversees close to 300 schools made up of both basic and second cycle institutions, given them a responsibility over 88,421 pupils and students as well as 4,571 teachers.

The Education Director noted that the office complex would enhance their daily planning of activities as well as facilitate their work of monitoring and supervising the various schools.

She thanked the TDC for accommodating the directorate for "all these years" and gifting them the land, the TMA and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority for supporting the project with GHs50,000.00.

Mr Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, on his part, said TMA and others were embarking on the construction of the office complex as they shared in the vision of promoting quality education in the Metropolis.

Mr Anang-La added that the TMA saw education as the bedrock of the development of the area and the country and therefore added to its Tema Restoration Agenda pillars.

According to him, in furtherance of that objective, his outfit had embarked on the fencing and rehabilitation of all basic schools in the Metropolis to ward off encroachers and protect the land for future development.

He urged the contractors to work within the scheduled time while promising to pay their certificates on time to prevent delays on the project.