Renovation works on Manle Dada, Africa Unity schools at standstill

Two classroom blocks in the Manle Dada and African Unity basic schools in the La Dade-Kotopon Municipality remain in ruins seven months after they were destroyed by a rainstorm.

The nine-unit classroom block of African Unity Basic School and three classrooms of the nine-unit Manle Dada Basic School were destroyed in rainstorms in May and September 2023, respectively.

In spite of the promise made by the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LADMA) to fix the classroom blocks within three months, the Daily Graphic’s visit to the schools revealed that the pledge had not been kept as the classrooms remained in their sorry state. 

The LADMA Works Engineer, Richard Ben Debrah, said the renovation works delayed because of lack of resources to pay the contractor for initial work that had been done on the African Unity schools.

Again, he said in the case of the Manle Dada Basic School, Puma Energy Ghana, a private company, was still mobilising resources to start the renovation work.

“I spoke to the contractor undertaking the African Unity Basic School renovation work and he has assured me that they will start roofing it by Monday (January 15).

I can assure you that the project will be completed and handed over by the end of the first quarter of this year,” he added.

The Daily Graphic had reported in its Thursday, September 28, 2023, edition that the fate of over 400 pupils in the Manle Dada and African Unity basic schools hanged in the balance after the roofs over their classrooms were ripped off.

The roofs of a nine-unit classroom block and adjoining offices at the African Unity School were completely ripped off in May,2023 and had not been renovated yet.

In the case of Manle Dada Basic School, three out of the nine-unit classroom block were destroyed by a rainstorm on September 22, 2023.

The story indicated that the fate of the children hanged in a balance given that basic schools were scheduled to reopen on October 3. 

Following that report, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, visited the two schools to assess the situation for action to be taken to fix the roofs.

The LADMA Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Rev. Solomon Kotey Nikoi, gave an assurance that the assembly was collaborating with the private sector to renovate the classroom blocks.

When the Daily Graphic visited the schools on October 3, 2023, it was observed that carpenters had moved to site to begin renovation works on the classrooms.

The scope of work included replacement of worn out wooden trusses, fixing of ceilings, doors, masonry works and painting. 

The foreman, Joseph Ansah, had told the Daily Graphic on October 3 that it would take two days to remove the mangled roofing sheets, three days to replace the worn out trusses, and the re-roofing to be completed within a week. 

"We have one month to deliver the contract, but we are determined to finish the entire work in two weeks’ time and hand it over by the third week," he told the Daily Graphic. 

When the Daily Graphic returned to monitor the progress of work yesterday, it observed that the work had stalled. 

The paper observed that the damaged iron sheets of the African Unity Basic School had been removed and rafters fixed in readiness for roofing with iron sheet.

The situation was different at the Manle Dada School as no work had been done yet.

When the Daily Graphic spoke to the head teacher of Manle Dada Basic School, Frank Okyere Preko, on the issue, he said the delay in executing the project was worrying as it meant that the students from the two schools would continue to share the same facilities for a longer time.

“They told us that the work will be done in two weeks, but as it stands now, it is three weeks, and we are disappointed.

The work is progressing at a very slow pace.

They removed the roofing sheets and put wood at one side of the building, but that part is still undone,” he said.

The head teacher of African Unity Basic School, Lydia Osei, called for the work to be fast-tracked.

“We are in a hurry to go back to our school because the inconveniences in a merged classroom are too much,” she said.

The Municipal Director of Education at LaDMA, Habiba Kotomah, said she had been following up on LaDMA to do everything possible to complete the renovation works.

She called on LADMA and other stakeholders to expedite action on the renovation of the dilapidated classrooms so that pupils could study in a friendly environment.