This is as a result of a GH¢ 41,000 debt reportedly left behind by the contractors who put up the school.

[contextly_sidebar id=”FD4bPJ1uCxiFDIrXBOum5Hb8L1kpZd7S”]The Headmistress of the School, Elizabeth Sam, who revealed this when members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education visited the school on Monday, said some staff of the school are forced to carry out some administrative duties in her house as a result of the situation.

“For now, the school has no light. Since the school was handed over to us, he hasn’t paid any bill as yet so it got to a time, the high cost of the electricity bill prompted the Electricity Company of Ghana to come and disconnect us. So he hasn’t paid any bill from the time we came here. The ICT lab, we can’t use it… Most of the administrative work is done in my home,” Mrs. Sam said.

She also decried the inadequate furniture in the school, noting that it had compelled some first-year students to bring personal plastic chairs from their respective homes.

The Chairman of the Committee, Siaka Stevens, said the committee will be working to address some of the challenges raised by the school.

He said it was preparing a report to be submitted to the floor of parliament for a debate and a policy direction.

He added that, the committee will engage the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to discuss the possibility of reconnecting the school to the national grid, while making efforts to reach the contractor to impress on him to pay the GH¢41,000 debt.

The Kwabenya Community Day SHS is among about 50 schools that were commissioned under the previous government’s special program to build 200 new community day Senior High Schools.

The previous government could not complete construction of all the promised 200 schools before it left office in January 2017.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to the contractors, their services were employed for the construction of a number of Community Day Senior High Schools but they have not received payments which has been in arrears for the past eight months.

The leader of the group, Ibrahim Adam, told Citi News, they were being harassed by banks they borrowed money from for the projects.

“We were refused payment, GETFund payment. We did the E Block project and we’ve not been paid for the past 8 months. Our banks are calling us, our debtors are calling us and then our workers are calling demanding payment and as we speak now we’ve not received any payment for GETFund.

Ibrahim Adam added that, although he was aware GETFund was releasing funds to some contractors, they were not those who worked on the E -Block project.

In fulfillment of an election 2012 campaign promise of John Mahama, government commenced the construction of some 200 Community Day Senior High Schools, to address the issue of access to quality education in the country.

About 45 of the schools have been completed and commissioned by the President.

Meanwhile, checks by Citi News on Friday evening revealed that, government has struck an agreement with the contractors to pay them the arrears.

Adam Ibrahim told Citi FM’s Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News that although the amount has not been paid, they have made an arrangement for payment with government.

“The issue has been resolved so we are following the due procedure. We are okay with it now and they [government] are working on it” he said.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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According to him, the introduction of the facility will make the schools relevant in helping to keep and effectively groom the students to be future leaders.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, the trained teacher said it was important for this to be done since in most cases, the schools are not easily accessible, forcing students to walk for several kilometers, a situation that discourages students.

“These schools they are not beneficial to the people. I am a professional teacher and when you go to Otuam, the school is about 10 kilometres from the town so the distance alone get parents to pay more than they would have paid for a boarding school.”

“I have taught for 17 years. In Ghana, these kind of schools cannot train anybody. Day schools are not good for Ghana especially where it is located. For you to make inroads in education, you need to arrest the night life of teenagers, teenagers face a lot of challenges and distraction so for you to improve on education especially on teenagers, you need to arrest their night life and the best way to do that is in a boarding house; and in the absence of a boarding house; a day school must be able to provide services like preps so that they can go in and study from about 6:00pm to 10:00pm,” he said.

Mr. Karikari Bondzi said the incoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, will not abandon the existing community day schools since they are state property.

He however suggested that, they must be transformed into boarding schools to serve the actual purpose.

He further noted that, the NPP government had the alternative of introducing boarding houses to the existing school facilities or building additional ones closer to towns.

‘Mahama promises 200 news SHS’

President John Mahama as part of his election 2012 campaign promises pledged to build 200 new Community Day Senior High Schools across the country, to address the issue of access to quality education in the country.

With barely a month to exit office, President Mahama only commissioned less than 50 of the schools.

He said about 123 of the schools were at various stages of completion and promised they would be completed under his second term in office if he was given the mandate.

Following his defeat to the opposition, NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo, it is unclear if the remaining 123 schools would be completed.

In most cases, the completed schools are not serving their purpose fully.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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This forms the first batch of SHS students being admitted to the various schools following their recent inauguration by President John Mahama.

The students were posted through the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

According to the Head of CSSPS, Kwasi Anokye, 41 of the schools had declared their preparedness to admit the students for the 2016/2017 academic year, hence were included in the list of schools with vacancies to admit the new students.

In an interview with Citi News, he said, at least 500 students were posted to each of the schools.

“The community day schools, as at last week, we had over 41 of them being ready to admit across the country, and we have been able to place a minimum of 500 students in each of these Community Day schools,” he said.

The GES had earlier indicated that, the new schools being constructed will be ready for admission this year, but there were concerns about the non-completion of some of the schools ahead of the start of the 2016/2017 academic year.

‘Mahama to construct 200 Community Day SHS’

President Mahama during the 2012 electioneering campaign, promised to build 200 new Community Day SHSs in under-served communities across the country, to address the issue of access to education in the country.

The first school, located at Ekumfi Otuam in the Central Region, was inaugurated in 2015 by President Mahama, and named after the late President, John Atta-Mills, who hails from the area.

‘200 schools cannot be completed in 2016’

The Government has admitted that it cannot complete the construction of the all 200 Senior High Schools before the end of 2016.

It however noted that, it is certain to complete them if given the nod to govern for a second four-year term.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post Over 20,000 students posted to Community Day SHSs appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The ICT training which will span a period of two months will have the officer’s trained in Microsoft suit and other internet based applications to equip them to meet the changing trends in technology.

The training, the University says forms part of the company’s quest to assist the government to empower individuals in ICT.

Assistant Registrar in-charge of Marketing and University Relations Kumasi – campus of the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC), George Akom told Kumasi based radio station ultimate radio the training program is to compliment government’s efforts at implementing an E-Governance platform in Ghana.

“We are doing this in support of government’s vision of implementing E Governance in the country. GTUC as a technology school, as part of our corporate social responsibility is in support of this vision to bring technology to all people in ministries, departments and agencies of government,” he stated.

He said they were beginning with 80 officers from the Central Prisons after which the concentration would move to prison officers from the Manhyia Prisons Division.

e also indicated that Obuase would be their next destination after completing with Kumasi.

George Akom said the University plans to institute a training program for ICT and Computer Science for other security services as well to improve their practical knowledge in ICT.

By: Afiba Anyanzua Anyanzu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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