Construction of Kpone SHS begins

Mr Alex Kyeremeh, Deputy Minister of Education, on Thursday, cut the sod for the construction of a public Senior High School for the Kpone-Katamanso District in the Greater Accra Region.

The school is being built on a 17.5 acre land at the Kpone Affordable Housing Project site.

Mr Alex Kyeremeh, said the project, which would be completed in 15 months, forms part of the 23 schools out of the 200 being funded with a 156 million dollar loan from the World Bank.

Mr Kyeremeh said when completed, the school would have 24 unit classrooms, four science laboratories, an E-library, eight offices for heads of departments, 12 washrooms with toilet and bath on each floor, eight flats for teachers and a head teacher bungalow.

It would also contain a canteen, landscaped compound and tarred roads.

According to him, the Ministry of Education has taken over some of the completed SHS structures constructed under the government’s initiative awaiting handing over to the communities.

The Deputy Minister added that the 50 schools being constructed under the first phase have reached various stages of completion, adding that, an additional 50 sites have also been handed to contractors for the second phase.

Mr Kyeremeh said the Ministry has earmarked more than 365,000 students throughout the country for the rollout of the government’s progressive free SHS education policy.

He gave the assurance that students of the Kpone SHS would be beneficiaries of the policy after the completion of the school project.

He advised the consultants and contractors working on the school projects to ensure quality and professionalism as government would not hesitate to terminate their contracts should they do any shoddy job.

Alhaji Antiaye Tetteh, Kpone-Katamanso District Chief Executive Officer, said the SHS would cater for the over 22 Junior High Schools in the District.

He said it was their anticipation that those who passed the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the District would have a stress-free access to SHS education.

Alhaji Tetteh said it would improve the infrastructural base, whiles generating employment for residents.

Mr Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, Greater Accra Regional Minister and Member of Parliament for Kpone-Katamanso, said the construction of the school was a manifestation of government’s good intentions for the people.

Nii Tetteh Otu II, Paramount Chief of Kpone, commended the government for the project and urged the contractors to complete the project on schedule, adding that, the sod-cutting would be meaningless if the actual building was not completed.

He also called for the maintenance of public structures, lamenting that, the culture of negligence and apathy was undermining investment in public infrastructure.