Abandoned school project in Dome Kwabenya raises safety concerns

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome Kwabenya, Akurugu Elikplim Faustina, has pledged to engage a contractor to complete an abandoned classroom block in the constituency.

The construction of the block, she said, was started in 2017 and now poses a safety threat to pupils.

She raised the concern during a donation at the Dome Cluster of Schools, which comprises Dome MA 1/2 and Dome Anglican 1/2.

She donated educational materials, including exercise books, pens, pencils, erasers and rulers, to the pupils.

The donation formed part of her back-to-school initiative aimed at easing the burden on parents and supporting learners as the new academic year begins.

“It saddens my heart to see such facilities in a country blessed with resources, yet our children are forced to learn in unsafe and appalling conditions,” she said.

Donation

Ms Elikplim explained that the donation was motivated by the struggles parents faced in buying basic materials for their children.

“I thought it wise to help parents at this critical time so that no child stays home simply because they do not have exercise books or pens,” she said.

The distribution exercise, which began at Kwabenya and continued to the Dome Cluster of Schools, will cover all junior high schools in the constituency from JHS 1 to JHS 3.

More than 11,000 students were expected to benefit, translating into about 55,000 exercise books and accompanying stationery.

The MP disclosed that she had already provided 210 dual desks to the Municipal Education Directorate for onward distribution. Although she admitted the number was not enough, she appealed for support from the government, private organisations, and civil society to improve facilities.

Infrastructure

Beyond the immediate relief of learning materials, Ms Elikplim raised concerns over the deplorable state of infrastructure in many schools in the constituency.

She said that classrooms lacked proper desks and chairs, with pupils either sharing or sitting on the floor. Teaching and learning tools such as boards and markers were also in short supply, while overcrowding remained a serious challenge in some schools.

The most urgent concern, however, was the abandoned classroom block that had remained uncompleted since 2017.

Intervention

The Municipal Education Director, Eric Sey, commended the MP’s intervention, describing the donation as timely and impactful.

He explained that the provision of stationery would help reduce absenteeism since some pupils stayed home when they lacked exercise books or pens.

“By providing these materials, the MP has solved an important barrier to access. Students can now come to school ready to learn,” he said.