By Francis Kwabena Cofie
Accra, June 11, GNA – Mr Kean Adjei Appiah, La Nkwantanang Municipal Director of Education, has called on stakeholders in education to prevail on the occupant of a private property sited in the middle of the Madina SDA School compound to relocate.
He said this would help pave way for the school to run its academic activities unhindered.
Mr Appiah made the call in an interview with the media.
He pointed out that the private property had existed on the compound since the inception of the school and it continued to pose problems to teaching and learning, creating insecurity and health risks to the pupils.
He said a septic tank connected to the building occasionally leaked and exposed the pupils to health hazards.
According to him, the children are exposed to all sorts of scenes and images around the structure which potentially disrupts their focus and attention in class.
He contended that the presence of the building constantly impeded extracurricular activities, adding that, it limited the scope to which children manoeuvre their way during games.
Giving a historical background, Mr Appiah said government gave out that parcel of land to the SDA church for a school.
He disclosed that at the onset, three structures were on the land but the other two vacated the premises when the church took over, leaving the present property.
Mr Appiah indicated that since taking office a couple of years ago, information at his disposal indicated that the SDA Church had taken amicable steps overtime to remove the structure through compromise but to no avail.
He pointed out that, embarking on that course of action seemed to be a sensitive one for the church, for fear of being labelled antichristian while the matter continued to impede sound school administration.
The Education Director indicated that to make matters worse, the private property was expanding with time, complicating the existing standoff.
He stated that the school population had grown exponentially leaving no option for the structure to be relocated based on merit.
Education, he stressed, was public service for which all citizens benefit, and by law anything that was meant for public good superseded the individual interest.
Backing his case with statistics, he said there were 54 public schools and over a hundred private ones in the municipality, adding however, that the chunk of the population is in the public school.
He mentioned that per evidence, with every three school- going children, two are in the public school.
He said the church, and the school for that matter, possessed legal documents on the parcel of land, including the portion of land in dispute.
Mr. Appiah said though a letter was written to the La Nkwantanang Municipal Assembly about two months ago, his outfit was yet to receive a response.
The Chairman of the Parent – Teacher Association of the school, Mr Isaac Addo said the existing structure in the middle of the school compound and its potential effect on the children was a source of anxiety to parents over the years.
He said it was on that basis that vigorous but amicable resolution was being sought to address the problem, resorting to the assembly as an initial measure.
GNA