Construct adequate speed humps in front of Akropong Sch for the Blind — headmistress

The Headmistress of the Akropong School for the Blind in the Eastern Region, Ms Mahela Narh, has appealed to the Ministry of Roads and Highway and the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) to, as a matter of urgency, construct adequate speed humps on the Akropong-Akuapem Highway leading to the school to protect the lives of the students.

She said the GHA and the Department of Feeder Roads had visited the school to assess the situation and asked for the school’s input but there had not been any action.

Ms Narh is worried the lives of the students continued to be in danger, especially during vacation and on special occasions where they had to cross the road at different sections.

In an interview at the school, she cited a recent incident where a truck nearly run into the gate of the school because there were no speed humps.

“Earlier this year, a truck run into a kiosk right in front of our gate. We are dealing with children with visual challenges here. So if care is not taken, things may not go well with us one day.

“It was a serious situation that day because if a lot of people were close, it wouldn’t have been good news. You could see some road markings in front of our side but that is not enough to help these children. We are calling on the authorities to act swiftly," she said.

Complaints
The Mirror’s visit to the school showed that while there were road markings and road signs in front of the school, there was no speed humps as drivers approached that stretch.

Drivers usually slowed down while approaching the zebra crossing.

Some residents who shared boundaries with the school corroborated what the headmistress said.

One of them, who only identified herself as Auntie Mary, said the situation was not good for the children.

“Sometimes we are here and we see these drivers speed by and not caring whether people are crossing the road or not. In fact, the authorities must do something about it immediately before it gets out of hand,” she said.

“We must not sit and wait until something bad happens one day and then start running around to look for solution,” another said.

Akropong School
The Akropong School for the Blind was established in 1945 and it is made up of different departments from the Kindergarten to the Junior High School (JHS) level.

It also has a Vocational Department, Music Unit and the Adult Rehabilitation Class.

The Adult Rehabilitation Class is set up for people who developed visual challenges late in their life.