Dam spillage: Prioritise rehabilitation, upgrade of affected schools – V/R NDC to Edu. Minister

The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC ) in the Volta Region has expressed disappointment over what it refers to as the “lackadaisical" attitude towards the plight of the 690 teachers and 20,495 pupils in the communities hard-hit by the Akosombo and Kpong dam spillage in the region.

This comes on the back of the visit of the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and his Deputy, Rev John Ntim Fordjour, at the early stages of the flood disaster.

Despite appreciating the said visit, in a statement issued Thursday, 2 November 2023, the Volta Regional NDC noted: “We are observing rather sadly, that after the visit, there is nothing significant from their outfit to ameliorate the plight of the pupils and teachers affected by the spillage to engender the academic work.

“These pupils have lost their school uniforms, sandals, books and other stationeries due to the spillage. Some schools have been submerged, some flooded, roads linking these schools have become inaccessible while classrooms available are being used as safe havens for the affected victims, thus completely grinding effective learning to a halt.”

The NDC in the Volta Region reiterated the call to “government to take immediate and decisive actions to assist these communities."

“The Education Minister must deliberately prioritise the rehabilitation and upgrading of the affected schools to enable students to resume their education in a safe and conducive environment,” it also said.

It further suggested that “the 690 teachers who have been badly affected should be assisted so they can be in the right frame of mind to educate our young ones”.