Rainstorm destroys Sakasaka Primary School block in Tamale
A rainstorm that hit parts of the Northern Region last Friday night has destroyed a classroom block at the Sakasaka Primary School in the Tamale metropolis.
Strong winds accompanied the rains, which lasted about an hour, resulting in the roof of the primary school block being ripped off, leaving the furniture and teaching and learning materials at the mercy of the rain.
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When the Daily Graphic visited the school, a young man who gave his name only as Augustine was seen carrying some cupboards containing educational materials out of the classrooms onto a tricycle.
He told the Daily Graphic that he had been sent by the headteacher of the school to go for the items and take them to safety.
GES
When contacted, the Head of Supervision and Monitoring at the Tamale Metro Education Directorate, Mr Iddisah Abubakari Amankwah, said considering the damage caused to the school, it would need major repair works to bring it back to normal.
He said the directorate was yet to inform the metropolitan assembly about the way forward.
He added that apart from the roof that had been ripped off, the building was also in a deplorable state.
He said the building last saw some repair works done on it about 10 years ago.
Residents
Some residents of Tamale who interacted with the Daily Graphic called on the city authorities to rally round and get the school back on its feet, considering that it was one of the oldest in the metropolis.
According to them, the school structure looked weak in view of the lack of maintenance and renovation works on it, thereby making it develop cracks and other defects.
A parent, Mr Baba Adams, who has two of his children in the school, observed that it was a good omen that the school was not in session at the time the rainstorm occurred.
NADMO
An official of the Tamale Metro Office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) said an assessment of the situation would be conducted and a report submitted to the Regional NADMO Secretariat for attention.
Challenges
The Head Teacher of the school, Ms Olivia Wadzari, said the Sakasaka School, which was established in the 1960s, had been facing many challenges, including community members using the compound as a refuse dump and for defecation.
According to her, the building was a pavilion which she had refurbished into a classroom block in 2013.
Background
Basic schools across the country have been shut down since March this year, in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Around this period each year, from May to the first week of October, the northern sector of the country experiences heavy rains which often destroy properties, including buildings, roads and farms, and sometimes human lives.
The rains are usually accompanied by strong winds, thunder and lightning, as was the case with the rains that hit parts of the Northern Region, including the Tamale metropolis, last Friday.