Daboase SHTS appeals for Gov't support

The Headmaster of Daboase Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Rev. Daniel Yaw Amaning has made a passionate appeal to government and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GET Fund) to support the school in addressing the myriad infrastructural problems of the school. The school lacks infrastructure and the few ones available leaks whenever it rains.

Rev. Amaning made the appeal in an interview with the Information Services Department (ISD) at Daboase in the Mpohor Wassa East District of the Western Region. He said the 18-year old school has never seen any additional infrastructure and renovation since its establishment, stressing that a 12 unit classroom block being put up for the school is at a standstill since the project started five years ago.

He also said although the school is to benefit from the model school programme nothing has been said about it in the school.

According to the Headmaster, the school will not be able to admit students in the next academic year due to the four year Senior High programme, describing it as worrying and threatening to the effective running of the school. He added that the situation is so bad that an eight – unit market stalls has now been converted into boy’s hostel for the school.

Meanwhile about 80 per cent of the teachers are living outside Daboase making supervision of students very difficult due to the lack of quarters for teachers. He complained about the uncooperative behaviour of the people and frequent harassment from the owners of the school land.

Rev. Amaning is therefore calling for an immediate intervention by government, the GetFund administrator and other stakeholders and benevolent organizations in order to forestall the situation.

This reporter’s checks at the school confirms the situation, almost every structure at the school has been patched at the roof to stop leakages when it rains, including the administration block and the headmaster’s bungalow.

Some students at the school told this reporter that they had their mattresses socked in water during the raining season. The boy’s hostel is in bad shape and overcrowded with a room housing students more than it could contain. Some of the boys told this reporter that they find it difficult to sleep in the afternoon and in the evening because of the heat emanating from the room.

Infrastructure at the school is nothing to be proud of. The canteen is an old fenced structure sited closed to a place of convenience attached to the girls hostel.

The Assembly hall has been turned into a multi-purpose facility, serving as a classroom, girl’s hostel, offices for Home Economic and Agric Department as well as a bookshop.

In the 21st century where Information Communication and Technology (ICT), has become part and parcel of all human endeavour, Daboase SHTS can boast of only 12 computers which is also not in good shape with no internet connection.

So far the school can boast of 20 teachers and three national service personnel most of whom are staying outside the district due to lack of accommodation. Out of the prudent management style of Rev. Daniel Yaw Amaning who became the headmaster two years ago, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is funding a hostel facility for the school. The project which is at the foundation level is expected to solve the overcrowding situation at the boy’s hostel.

Records available shows that academic performance is not one of the best due to infrastructural challenges. For instance the library can not accommodate more than 30 students with a student population of about 700, forcing most of the students to do their readings under trees and other unsafe places.