New boys’ dormitory block for SDA Snr High after fire destruction
Five months after the destruction of a boys’ dormitory of the Seventh-day Adventist Senior High School at Bekwai through a fire outbreak, authorities of the school have started constructing a new dormitory block to accommodate the students.
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The new one-storey dormitory being constructed with the support of some old students and other institutions is at the foundation level.
Destruction
The inferno left in its trail the destruction of the Nana Ameyaw Dormitory Block “B” leaving 54 students ‘homeless’ as they also lost all their belongings.
The school authorities, as a temporary measure, accommodated the students in some classrooms while looking for a permanent solution to the challenge.
When information about the burnt dormitory went round, various year groups of the school, as well as religious and commercial institutions, initiated moves to support the school authorities in their reconstruction effort.
One of such leading contributors to the project is the 1990 year group of the old students, who have donated several items worth thousands of Ghana cedis in support of the project. Among the items donated were two tonnes of iron rods, 100 bags of cement and two tonnes of 30 cubic chippings.
The spokesperson for the year group, Mr Jones Atta-Gyamfi, told the Daily Graphic that the support was aimed at creating an enabling environment for the students to study in order to attain their desired dreams, and pledged the group’s unflinching support towards the development of the school at all times. He further appealed to the school authorities to ensure that the items were put to good use.
Mr Atta-Gyamfi said in December last year, the group presented two projectors to enhance teaching and learning, as well as 100 bags of cement towards the construction of a two-storey classroom block, which is ongoing.
He appealed to old students all over the world to come back and help with materials such as cement, roofing sheets, wood and nails as well as cash, noting that “nothing is too small or big.”
Collaboration
Other institutions and groups which have contributed towards the reconstruction of the dormitory are the North American branch of Bekwai Adventist Old Students Association (BAOSA), the Odotobri and Amansie Rural banks, Ghana Commercial Bank, Modex Filling Station, as well as the 1991 and 1992 year groups.
Also, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bekwai, Mr Joe Osei Owusu, has given some assistance.
Recounting the fire outbreak at the school on January 27, 2016, the Headmaster of the School, Mr George Oduro-Yeboah, said around 8.40 p.m. on that day, while the students were studying in their classrooms, a resident on campus raised an alarm of a fire outbreak.
The fire destroyed everything, including trunks, chop boxes, clothes, books and buckets and the spillover of the fire caused serious damage to nearby buildings.
He said the authorities immediately called in officials of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) who responded, but by the time they got to the scene, the fire had destroyed everything.
The headmaster assured the old students that the items would be put to good use and commended individuals, groups and institutions, especially the 1990 Year Group, for their exceptional support towards the development of the school.
Congestion
Mr Oduro-Yeboah mentioned the lack of accommodation as the major challenge confronting the school, as the school’s population of 3,108 had caused congestion.
The school, for instance, runs three shifts at the dining hall because all the students cannot have their meals at the same time.