Crèche and kindergarten pupils of the Edwinase M/A Primary School in the Ejisu-Juaben municipality were on Friday locked out of a newly constructed four-unit classroom block by the Municipal Chief Executive because the building was yet to be inaugurated officially.
This means the children will return to school on Monday to resume lessons under trees where they used to be.
Acting on the orders of Mr Afrifa Yamoah Ponkoh, the Municipal Chief Executive, the Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Engineer on Friday morning went to the school, ordered the children and caretakers out and locked the classrooms, a new building completed over three months ago.
Confirming the incident to Graphic Online, the Headmaster of the school, Mr Gyamfi Owusu said he was called Friday morning by one of the teachers that “this is what has happened.”
Weak Building
He said it became clear that the old school building was weak and posed a danger to the lives of pupils and teachers, a situation which attracted the attention of the municipal assembly.
Accordingly, he said the assembly decided to renovate the dilapidated block for the pupils but it collapsed during renovation.
He said the contractor abandoned the project until some four months ago when a new four-unit classroom block under construction was completed.
Completed Building
Although the block had been completed, Mr Owusu said the pupils were still studying under trees until one day one Mr Atta, a Unit Committee member who is also an executive of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) saw the kindergarten pupils studying under trees on a rainy day.
He said Mr Atta who could not bear the sight of the children abandoning school because of the rains asked why the pupils should be studying under the tree while the building had been completed.
According to him, it was the said Mr. Atta who asked the teachers and the pupils to move in, to which they happily obliged, after-all the building was meant for the kids.
He said they had been using the classroom until last Thursday evening when he had information that the MCE had asked that the place be locked up because it had not been commissioned.
Way forward
The headmaster said he was having a meeting with the municipal director of education to find a solution to the problem. Meanwhile the pupils have been asked to go home.
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