Community members during the press conference
The Chiefs and People of Adaklu HASU (Helekpe, Avanyaviwofe, Sikama Union), together with the teachers and management of the Adaklu Senior High Technical School, have appealed to government to, as a matter of urgency, absorb the school into the public system.
Members of the community who made the appeal in a press conference recently said that they had resorted to the media due to what they described as lackadaisical attitude by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the government towards finalising the absorption process.
According to them, the school, which was established at Avanyaviwofe by the community in 2008 with 107 students after some years of successful operation, initiated the process to be absorbed by government. As regards the process, they passed all necessary inspections and satisfied all necessary requirements. However, the process was stalled in 2015.
According to the Headmaster of the School, Justice Dogbey, the Ghana Education Service (GES) told them in 2015 that although they satisfied all the requirements for the absorption, they could not be absorbed because of an embargo on employment in the public service.
However, they have described the employment embargo claim of the GES as unacceptable because government is still employing teachers into the public school system.
Their call follows government’s plans to implement a double-track system to manage the increase in enrollment due to the Free SHS programme. The double- track system is to help create space for students as student numbers outstrip space.
They asserted that the location of the Adaklu Sectech was the best considering the fact that it complements the Adaklu Senior High School which is several kilometres at one end of the Adaklu Traditional Area and District.
The location of the technical school puts it in a unique position of serving over 10 communities as well as neighbouring Mafi Kumasi in the Central Tongu District. The statement said, “Some immediate catchment and direct beneficiary communities include Helekpe, Avanyaviwofe, Sikama, Agblefe, Goefe, Tsrefe, Kpetsu, Dzakpo, Have, Vodze, Hihekpoe, Tokor, and Kodiabe.”
The school which has over 12 classrooms and workshops lacks the necessary equipment to undertake most of their practical lessons, hence had to do them at Mawuli School in Ho, which is several kilometres away.
They therefore pleaded with government to consider absorbing the school or desist from campaigning in the area, as they would boycott the elections.
From Fred Duodu, Ho