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| Side view of the Primary school block standing less than 100 metres away from the plush JHS building which was reconstructed by Zain in 2009 |
The
Presbyterian Primary School at Odumase-Krobo in the Eastern Region is set to
record yet another disaster few years after the unfortunate incident at the
Junior High School section which left one pupil killed, three others injured
and the entire community traumatized.
Bernard
Narteh, then a 12-year-old class six pupil died instantly when the roof of the
building fell on him together with 3 friends while they were running into the
classroom for cover during a rainstorm. None of the affected families has
received any form of compensation to defray the cost of the medical bills and
the funeral expenses of the deceased.
Reminiscent
of what happened with the Junior High School block which gave in to a storm in
December 2008 during a heavy downpour after 128 years of neglect since its
establishment, a three (3) unit classroom block with an office and a store
which currently houses part of the lower primary classes has similarly turned a
death trap ready to cause harm with its loose and badly leaking roof, deeply
cracked walls, exposed foundations and unbalanced rafters, columns & beams.
Built
in 1873 even before the JHS block which has since been rebuilt, the 139
year-old dilapidated classroom block is still being used for regular classes
for the lack of a proper alternative structure despite the warning signs of falling
debris during heavy downpour and the imminent collapse.
The
crumbling structure does not only pose danger to the pupils and teachers of the
school but does not also provide a conducive environment for effective academic
work.
It
would be recalled that following the Daily Graphic publication on the May 7,
2009 edition of the collapse of the JHS structure and the resultant injury and
death of some pupils, Zain (Airtel) Telecommunications Ghana immediately
responded by razing to the ground the then 128-year-old classroom block,
building in it places a modern educational facility which currently houses the
Junior High School.
Ms.
Emelia Kpabitey, headmistress of the school said “the horrors of the disaster
recorded at the JHS section is still fresh in our memory and that is why we are
frightened at the least sign of rain, particularly during this rainy season”.
She
said, “The condition of the block in question badly affects teaching and
learning because we are compelled to merge the affected classes- each containing
a minimum of 45 pupils- with others anytime it is about raining, and this has
become frequent lately because of the rampant downpour. What is more surprising
is the fact that the JHS which is just 50 metres away – with all of its modern
educational facilities- feeds on our products, yet the school buildings sharply
contrast with clearly different learning environment”. She wondered the caliber
of students she could produce out of that terrible condition, adding “We are
doing our best anyway”.
She
said, her outfit was yet to hear from any of the main stakeholders such as the
Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the
Ghana Education Service, adding “We are appealing to them and other socially
responsible corporate entities and individuals to come to our aid to avert the
looming disaster”.
Published: June 18, 2012, Modernghana.com
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| Back view of the building |
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| Front view of the structure |
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