Bolgatanga Technical Institute undergoes facelift
Work has begun on the renovation of old structures and the construction of new ones to improve on infrastructure at the Bolgatanga Technical Institute (BOTECH) in the Upper East Region.
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The projects earmarked for construction this year are the construction of a wall around the school, tarring of roads on the school’s campus, provision of street lights, renovation of the four-storey boys’ dormitory, construction of a new two-storey boys’ dormitory block and the renovation of the assembly and the dining halls.
Others are the renovation of the old administration block which has been converted into workshops for the Catering and Fashion departments, while the ongoing projects are the construction of a workshop for the Welding, Fabrication and Creative Arts departments, a two-storey self-contained teachers’ flat and the provision of a mechanised borehole facility.
The projects form part of an intervention by the African Development Bank (AfDB) in collaboration with the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) to refurbish one technical institute in each of the 10 regions in the country.
Rainstorm
In April this year, the roof of the workshop of the school was ripped off during a rainstorm, causing damage to some of the equipment used for practicals.
When contacted to find out the progress of work on the projects going on at the school, the Principal of BOTECH, Mr Thomas Amare, said his first port of call for help after the disaster was the Bolgatanga Municipal Directorate of Education, then the regional directorate of education.
He said he also approached the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly and the Regional Minister, Mr Albert Abongo, who provided the school with 17 packets of roofing sheets.
Mr Amare further explained that the school on its own also purchased wood to construct the rafters for roofing to be done, indicating that the school would use its own expertise from the Woodwork Department to re-roof the workshop.
The principal, however, entreated prominent citizens of the region, both home and abroad, to support the school with the requisite equipment to replace the one that was destroyed by the rainstorm, to ensure effective teaching and learning.
Background
The Bolgatanga Technical Institute was established in 1985 as a co-educational institution. It currently has a student population of about 2,300. Over the years, the school has been grappling with the challenges of inadequate and dilapidated school infrastructure.
In May 2015, the school suffered a setback when one of its students fell from the third floor of the boys’ dormitory but fortunately survived. The authorities had to replace the old guardrails with new ones to forestall a recurrence of that incident.
Students and authorities of the school have, therefore, described the renovation of the old structures and provision of new ones "as very timely".
