A vehicle (arrowed) at the intersection of the Weija Junction-Oblogo-Gbawe Road after descending the road towards the school.
A vehicle (arrowed) at the intersection of the Weija Junction-Oblogo-Gbawe Road after descending the road towards the school.

Danger looms at Oblogo Cluster of Schools

There is looming catastrophe at the Oblogo Cluster of Schools in Accra as staff and pupils stand the risk of being ran into by vehicles which descend a steep road that leads to the schools’ compound.

The schools; Oblogo M/A ‘2’ and Oblogo M/A ‘3’, which are situated at the base of the road that leads to Gbawe on the Weija Junction-Oblogo Road, have already recorded a number of accidents as a result of the brake failure of vehicles.

Two students were killed at the base of the (Gbawe) road near the schools’ main entrance when the brakes of a vehicle reportedly failed as it descended the road towards the Weija Junction along the Oblogo Road.

During last year’s Christmas vacation, some young men playing football on the schools’ compound had to run for their dear lives when a vehicle drove right into the compound but was fortunately stopped by a heap of mud.

Last term, the brakes of a truck loaded with scraps allegedly failed again and descended from the hill top, hit a coconut tree and the Form Three classroom while classes was in session, causing students and teachers to run for their lives.

This has compelled the schools’ authorities to abandon the classroom because of the dangers posed to the students and teachers by vehicles which descend the hill.

A source at the school said the students and their teacher, who was teaching Social Studies at the time of the accident, were saved by a concrete pillar in the classroom and the coconut tree the vehicle hit first which slowed down the speed of the truck.

Some students of the Oblogo M/A ‘2’ School, who shared their harrowing experiences after the car hit their classroom, noted that it was quite scary that fateful day.

“We were in class that Wednesday morning when we heard a big bang on the pillar.

We all rushed out because we did not know what was happening,” one of the students, Master Emmanuel Asamoah, said.

Another student, Master Smith Tetteh, said one female student collapsed during the pandemonium and had to be rushed to the hospital where she was resuscitated.

One of the teachers told the Junior Graphic that, “we are not safe at all because we do not know when another vehicle will enter our compound and cause something really serious”.

The teacher said after numerous complaints, the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly mounted some railings in front of the school but said they were not strong enough to withstand the speed of the vehicles which plied that route.

A staff of the school who pleaded anonimity said the townsfolk and students subsequently embarked on a demonstration to call on the municipal assembly to take action to address the series of accidents in the area.

The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), she said, had been very instrumental in trying to find a lasting solution to the problem.

The Chairman of the PTA, Rev. Paul Neequaye, said a total of five accidents were recorded at the base of the road last year alone, adding that there was the need for immediate action to be taken to prevent a tragedy from occurring.

He said the PTA had taken the issue very seriously and thus would be having another meeting on it tomorrow.

When contacted, the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Patrick Kumor, who confirmed that the issue had been brought to the attention of the assembly, indicated that some measures were being put in place to address it once and for all.

“We are also trying to get used tyres from the big trucks and caterpillars so that we can fill them with concrete at the base of the road near the school to prevent vehicles from entering the compound once they fail their brakes,” he said.

Mr Kumor said before then, the Member of Parliament of the Weija-Gbawe Constituency, Madam Tina Mensah, had provided concrete barricades at the schools’ main entrance but the (barricades) were removed by some members of the community to enable them to drive their cars on to the compound.

He, however, expressed the hope that the problem would be solved by the end of the month.

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