Osino, Aug 20, GNA - Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the Eastern Regional Minister, on Friday broke the ground for the construction of a two-storey girls' dormitory for the Presbyterian Senior High school (SHS) at Osino in the Fanteakwa District.

The 240-bed dormitory is expected to be completed within one year.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said the project, which cost GHC 450,000, had become necessary due to accommodation problems facing the school.

He said the extension of the SHS duration from three to four years by the previous administration without adequate preparation had made it necessary for the government to provide more infrastructures in schools to be able to accommodate the increasing number of students.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, who was on three-day tour of the Fanteakwa District, said similar facilities were being undertaken for the New Nsutam SHS and the Presbyterian SHS at Begoro to ensure that the accommodation problems facing the schools would be a thing of the past.

He appealed to the contractor undertaking the project to employ some of the people from the area and also appealed to the traditional authorities to support the contractor to ensure that the project is completed.

The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Nora Empeh, expressed her gratitude to the government for coming to their aid.

She said acute accommodation had remained one major challenge facing the school resulting in many qualified students being denied admission year after year.

Mrs Empeh said the school, which was established in 1978 by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana with less than 20 students, now has a population of 1,174 students.

She said the academic performances of the school over the year had been encouraging adding that provision of infrastructure such as classroom blocks, teachers' quarters and dormitories would boost the performance of students.