The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Felix Mensah NiiAnang-La has indicated that as part of the assembly’s commitment to providing access to quality education for every child of school going age and to enhance education in the Tema Metropolis, the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, TMA, has embarked on a fencing of school projects within the area.
[ads1]This has led the TMA to fence eight public schools in the first phase of series of interventions that the assembly is rolling out for the overall improvement of school infrastructure in the metropolis.
Addressing related staff and pupils of the selected basic schools, the Metropolitan Chief Executive revealed that the educational infrastructure within the community has deteriorated over the years due to neglect and the prevailing situation is not the best. At ground-breaking ceremonies to launch the education restoration agenda, Mr. Anang-La noted that the fencing project is necessary to provide security and a serene environment for teaching and learning. He said the government has taken it upon itself to curb the situation.
The MCE noted that the project will go a long way to secure the school lands for future expansion as well as deter developers and miscreants from encroaching on the schools land. The MCE revealed that due to the School Feeding Programme, enrolment in the basic schools has increased and thus ‘facilities have been overstretched and therefore there is a pressing need on the assembly to modernize, expand and in some instances, completely overhaul the existing facilities to accommodate the pupils”.
“The assembly under my stewardship will pursue a sustained development on all facets of infrastructure in the metropolis and the fencing will also arrest the pervasive encroachment on the school lands” he added.
According to him, the beneficiary schools were carefully selected from the three constituencies that make up the assembly to ensure equity throughout the Tema East, Tema West, and Tema Central constituencies. He charged the staff of the schools to make judicious use of the limited resources and facilities available to them. He urged all residents to honour their financial obligation to the assembly in order for them to execute more developmental projects and to support the restoration agenda.
Mr. Anang-La hinted plans of building of two 12-units classroom blocks within the metropolis.
The Metropolitan Director of Education, Margarete Nsiah Asamoah said the lack of fence around the schools, has exposed the pupils to occupational hazards but the project will go a long way to curb all the dangers that they use to face
According to Heads of the various schools, lack of fence wall around their schools has led to a lot of issues such as truancy, lateness, encroachment, distractions during lesson periods, wasting classes’ hours on cleaning among others.
They expressed their gratitude to the mayor and his team for t honours one them. The programme took place at three different schools namely Nii Adjetey Ansah School, Community Seven No. 1 and the Baatsona School Complex.