With no single senior high school in the Sekyere Afram Plains District in the Ashanti Region, the intention to establish a community day senior high school project came to residents with loads of excitement.
The facility was ready for use in 2017 but for a day school, the distance to the school was a concern to local authorities. Though fully furnished, the school block has been left unused for years.
In 2020, the Ministry of Education awarded a contract for the construction of a dormitory block to complement the E-block project.
At 60 percent, work halted owing to financial constraints. Both the E-block and the dormitory have currently been left in the bush.
For most junior high school graduates in the area, their dream of enrolling in the school hangs in the balance.
“I’m part of those who completed JHS this year and hoping to continue my education here. But it appears nothing is being done to put it to use anytime soon. We appeal to government to open up the facility, so we don’t go to school at far places”, 15-year-old Adjei Emmanuel pleads.
A JHS 3 student Janet Boahemaa also shares similar sentiment “the school was completed long ago but still not in use. When it becomes operational, most of us in the villages around here will have an opportunity to continue with our education without stress”.
Whilst most of the ceiling for the school is falling apart and part of the walls developing cracks, information gathered indicate that the furniture keeps disappearing one after the other.
Residents are not happy with the development.
Michael Attah, a unit-committee member at Drobonso hinted that, “we mobilized ourselves to clean up the entire building when we heard the facility was about to be opened last year. But that didn’t happen. We are worried and just hoping to see it in use because we can’t continue to allow our children further their senior high education far away in Kumawu or Kumasi when we have one here”.
Another resident of Sekyere Afram Plains resident, Prince Ponyo seem tired of yearly promises to make the school functional.
“Every year, they promise to operationalize the school, but it never happens. Even though I couldn’t further my education to the senior high level, the functionality of this school will enable me to push my younger siblings to achieve what I couldn’t do,” he said.
Meanwhile, the District Chief Executive, Sulemana Hamidu says the Minister of Education has given assurance that the E-block will be operationalized by September 2024.
The only thing remaining, according to him, is power of which steps have been taken to extend electricity to the area.
Residents are only eagerly expecting to see the operationalization of the facility which they believe will not only bring access to senior high education closer but open up the area.
