By Dennis Peprah
Yawhima-Sunyani, March 1, GNA – Academic work has resumed at the Yawhima Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Primary and Junior High Schools in the Sunyani Municipality.
The school, which was closed since Monday, February 20, 2023, was re-opened after Mr John Ansu Kumi, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) presented 40,000 nose masks to pupils, students and teachers.
Nana Ansu Ababio, the Chief of Yawhima ordered the closure of the school along the Sunyani-Techiman highway due to the worsened and health-hazardous nature of that particular portion of the road.
According to the chief, the school was closed because the school children and the teachers could not stand the negative health effects of the dust pollution from the untarred road, which could subsequently lead to the outbreak of respiratory diseases in the area, if not addressed.
However, during a visit on Tuesday around 0800 hours by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), teaching and learning were progressing as the school children wore their nose masks.
Some of the pupils and students told the GNA they were highly excited that the school had re-opened, and expressed appreciation to the MCE for his intervention.
Later in an interview, Mr Kumi told the GNA the nose masks were part of efforts to help the teachers and students mitigate the effects of the dust.
“We really understand and appreciate their concerns because it is glaring that the sea of dust remains the order of the day, thereby making teaching and learning arduous, and ineffective to some extent,” he stated.
The MCE said he had extensively engaged the SEMS Construction Limited, working on the project, to at least water the road to minimize the dust, and urged drivers to reduce speed as well.
“Construction work on the New-Dormaa-Kuotokrom-Yawhima road is a great concern to me in particular, Mr Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, the Member of Parliament for Sunyani East and Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister and we are together doing everything possible to ensure that the contractor completes the project”, Mr Kumi stated.
He therefore implored residents of communities along the road to remain patient, saying “we have all witnessed some progress of work done on the road, and we would soon see the tarring of road”, he stated.
GNA