Govt to support rebuilding of burnt Accra Academy dormitories

Two dormitories of the Accra Academy were gutted by fire in the evening of last Wednesday, destroying items such as mattresses, trunks, provisions, books and personal effects of the students.

The fire is said to have started between 7:25 and 7:30 p.m., during which time the students had gone for prep.

Students of the two dormitories, Alema and Halm-Addo, have temporarily been relocated to different dormitories.

School activities have not been disrupted, as the students are going about their normal duties.

The Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah; a Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and the Member of Parliament for Okaikoi South, Mr Ahmed Arthur, visited the school yesterday to assess the situation.

Rebuilding of dormitories

Mr Sowah told journalists that the most affected part, known as the common room, located between the two dormitories, where the fire is said to have begun, would be demolished, starting from next week.

The common room, which housed 41 students, is completely burnt.

Mr Sowah said the government had indicated that rebuilding and renovating the burnt dormitories were a priority and that it would look for funds to make the dormitories habitable.

He pledged to work with the school authorities, the Ministry of Education and relevant bodies to ensure the safety and welfare of students.

“We are waiting for a fire report; however, that will not stop us from proceeding to make sure that the students get a place to sleep, especially as we are running the double-track system,” he added.

Mr Adutwum reiterated the Ministry of Education’s commitment to ensure the safety and welfare of students.

The affected building

Fire assessment

The Assistant Headmaster of the school, Mr Ebo Sey, explained that the fire began from the roof of the common room, which is between the two dormitories.

He said the school was waiting for an assessment from the Ghana National Fire Service to ascertain the cause of the fire to help the school take the next step.

“Once we saw the fire, the main thing was to try and bring it down; so we used fire extinguishers and buckets of water. We did this until the Fire Service arrived and we left it to the professionals,” he said.

A Maths teacher of the school, Mr Solomon Lomotey, explained that the dormitories were recently renovated and provided with about eight fire extinguishers which were used to prevent the fire from spreading further to other dormitories.