Nana Ansu Ababio, the Chief of Yawhima has ordered the closure of the Yawhima Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Primary and Junior High School in the Sunyani Municipality for fear of an outbreak of respiratory diseases among school children.

During a visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) around 0800 hours on Thursday, there was no child or a teacher in the school, along the Yawhima portion of the Sunyani-Techiman highway, and all the classrooms were locked up.

The GNA said the school was closed since Monday, February 20, 2023, and the children had since remained in the house.

Speaking in an interview with the GNA, Nana Ababio said the decision to close the school was taken because the school children and the teachers could not stand the dust from the untarred road.

He said if immediate measures were not taken to put the worsened condition of the road into good shape to save residents from the dust, there could be an outbreak of respiratory diseases.

Nana Ababio said the people had persistently appealed to the authorities at the Sunyani Municipal Assembly, but the situation remained the same, saying until something reasonable was done, the school would not be opened.

When contacted, Mr. John Ansu Kumi, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive explained the assembly had directed contractors to water the road and help reduce the dust.

He said the assembly had met and interacted with opinion leaders in the town, saying academic work would resume by Monday, February 27, 2023, and advised drivers to reduce speed as well.

Meanwhile, residents of Kuotokrom and Yawhima have expressed disgust about the delay of works on the construction of the road and appealed to the Government to intervene.

According to them, contractors had abandoned works on the project and had not been seen on site for some time now.