Maame Krobo SHS to admit freshers; A big relief to residents
Students in Maame Krobo in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District in the Eastern Region can now heave a sigh of relief as they can now access secondary education right at their doorsteps, beginning the 2016/2017 academic year.
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This follows the inclusion of Maame Krobo as one of the beneficiaries of the 23 World Bank-sponsored day SHSs, which is nearing completion and is set to admit the first batch of students for the 2016/2017 academic year.
Composition of the project
The project is being executed by two contractors, namely Perfect Business and Big Food Construction. Perfect Business is responsible for the Lot A, made up of the E-block, the Gate House and external works. The Lot B, which is made up of a three-bedroom headmaster’s bungalow with a two-bedroom boys quarters, an eight-unit two-bedroom teachers’ flats and a multi-purpose canteen is being executed by Big Food Construction.
The 24-classroom E-block houses a science laboratory, a library and a computer laboratory, offices for the headmaster and heads of departments as well as a teachers’ common room.
The two construction companies are supervised by Twum Boafo & Partners, which are the consultants.
The E-block will be accessible to the disability community as a ramp is being constructed from the ground floor to the last floor. This is particularly so as the library and the laboratories are not on the ground floor.
The road network within the compound and the solid waste bay were being worked on, while excavation for the construction of the solid waste bay was underway when the Daily Graphic visited the site a few weeks ago.
Workers busily working on the E-Block
Strategic location
The location of the school is strategic for the district as Maame Krobo alone has enough junior high schools (JHSs) to feed the senior high school (SHS) in the town.
Maame Krobo does not have a single senior high school, even though every year it turns out more than 300 JHS graduates. Currently, there are about six JHSs within the town as well as other ones in the nearby communities.
Until the construction of the SHS, JHS candidates who passed the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) had no choice but to relocate to Tease, the capital town of the Kwahu Afram Plains South District, to attend the St Fidelis SHS or at Donkorkrom in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District to attend the Donkorkrom Agricultural Senior High School (DASHS).
The girls who have the aptitude for vocational or technical education usually go to the St Mary’s Vocational Institute at Adeambra, while the boys head for the Amankwa Fisheries and Agricultural Technical Institute (AFATI).
Steady progress
But with the assurance from the Clerk of Works at the construction site of the day SHS, Mr Isaac Allotey Abrahams, all those hustles and struggles would be things of the past.
According to him, the contractors were working hard. He was, therefore, confident that the project would be ready before the October deadline.
A big relief
Touching on the importance of the location of the school, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the Kwahu Afram Plains South, Mr Ibrahim Issakar, said it was a big relief for the people in Maame Krobo and the surrounding communities.
He said the school would be ready for admissions for the 2016/17 academic year and said it would relieve parents of the burden of having to send their children to other towns for secondary education.
President’s interest in rural education
Mr Issakar thanked President John Mahama for including the district in the 23 World Bank-sponsored schools and was confident that it would boost the interest of students desiring to pursue secondary education and even beyond.
He said the decision of the President to choose Afram Plains as one of the beneficiaries of the project was a testimony to his commitment to improving rural education.