Pong Tamale SHS appeals for support- After fire gutted female dormitory

The Headmistress of the Pong Tamale Senior High School in the Northern Region, Mrs Margret Gbande, has appealed to the government and benevolent organisations to help provide accommodation, mattresses and clothing for students who were affected in a fire that gutted the female dormitory block last Monday.

She said although the incident occurred when the students were on vacation, the final-year students, who were writing their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), were in dire need of the items since it would give them the peace of mind to study for their examination.

Mrs Gbande made the appeal through the media at Pong Tamale last Wednesday.

She noted that if the situation was not managed properly it could affect the students psychologically and impact negatively on their studies.

Fire incident

The fire completely razed down the 12-unit dormitory block, destroying all the personal effects of 692 female students who occupied the block.

The school is expected to reopen next month and that has put pressure on the management to find solutions to the challenge.

Measures

The headmistress stated that as a temporary measure, some classrooms had been converted to dormitories for the final-year students.

She noted that the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) had held an emergency meeting to deliberate on possible ways of securing temporary accommodation for the students, while they waited for support from the government and benevolent organisations.

She added that representatives from the Savelugu Municipal Assembly had also visited the school to ascertain the extent of damage, and had pledged to provide some support.

Mrs Gbande appealed to parents of continuing students to provide their children with mattresses, uniforms and learning materials when school reopened due to the incident.