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The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has urged the President to put on hold the construction of the Community Day Senior High Schools. According to him, the community day schools need a complement of boarding facilities, as their siting will pose a problem for students who will have to trek long distances to and from school.

Mr Osei-Mensah said because of this challenge, enrolment at these schools are very low.

He made the observation during a familiarisation visit to the Oyoko Community Day SHS in the Bosomtwe District as part of an official tour of some development projects in the district.

The school, which is located about 2km from the Oyoko township, admitted 210 students this year, even though the facility is not fully completed.

The Regional Minister was informed by authorities of the school that all the students, comprising 80 boys and 130 girls, are being accommodated in a converted classroom block as makeshift dormitory.
They said due to the concept of the facility as a day school, there are no bathrooms, kitchen and boarding houses.

Furthermore, utilities such as electricity and water are yet to be extended to the school. Mr Osei-Mensah expressed serious concern about the challenges the students are facing, and called for dispassionate stakeholder consultation to review the community day school concept.

The Regional Minister also addressed the chiefs and people of Oyoko at a mini-durbar in his honour, and informed them that government is currently reviewing all the contracts in respect of the Cocoa Roads Rehabilitation Programme, and that 15km Oyoko-Apotougya road will soon be awarded for rehabilitation.

Mr Osei-Mensah also inspected work on the construction of a 250–bed Ashanti Regional Hospital at Sawua, being executed by Euroget Construction Company.
The project, which is being financed by the government at a cost of $63 million, is expected to be completed in July next year.

Mr Osei-Mensah commended the contractor for the quality of work, and was hopeful that the project would be completed on schedule.

At a mini-durbar at Kuntanase, the Bosomtwe District capital, the Krontihene of the town, Nana Peinemo Kwagyan, commended government for its flagship development programmes, and urged Ghanaians to support such good initiatives that have the potential to bring national socio-economic transformation.