El-Wak students live in fear following plane crash

Teachers and students of the Base Ordnance Depot Basic School, near the El-Wak Sports Stadium, continue to be traumatized by the Saturday, June 2, plane crash which occurred a few meters from the school.

This is because the presence of the crashed aircraft and the security guards are having psychological effects on the pupils. A teacher, who pleaded anonymity, has suggested health screening for the children through clinical psychological assessment to help them cope with the situation.

He said as a temporary measure to reduce the effect of the adverse environment, the school authorities have endorsed alternative routes for the pupils to use to and from the school.

The crash, according to the teacher, laid bare the danger the school was exposed to with its location directly opposite the runway cross the street.

He said anytime an aircraft took off, he personally developed some unexplained fear until the noise overheard receded into a distance.

The teacher noted that with the increasing flight at the Kotoka International Airport, classes have to stop intermittently for the noise to abate before they were resumed, contending that the situation did not augur for effective teacher-pupil contact hours.

He appealed to the military command to consider relocating of the school saying, “the situation has become more compelling in view of the accident.”

A pupil of the school confirmed that she lives in constant fear since the accident occurred and the situation was beginning to affect her studies. She said, she had pleaded with her parents to transfer her from the school to one which is no where near the airport.

Mrs. Larweh, head teacher of the school, when contacted confirmed that, initially when the accident occurred, the pupils attempted to hide under their desks whenever there was an aero plane flying overheard.

She said the situation, coupled with the presents of heavy security guard in the first week, compelled her to ask the teachers to talk to the students to allay their fears.

Mrs. Larweh said initially, it was difficult boosting the confidence of the pupil with assurance, but as the day rolled by and the security reduced, “the students are beginning to cope with the situation”.

She said, last week Thursday, when the weather changed and the airport authorities decided that the aeroplanes should land at the airport, descending from the end of the school, “the situation became unbearable as the aeroplanes flew very low over the school to land at the airport.

“I immediately alerted the authorities and permission was granted so we quickly ended classes and dispersed the children to go home,” Mrs. Larweh said.**