Power supply to two schools disconnected

From Kwame Asare Boadu, Sunyani

THE Volta River Authority (VRA) has disconnected power supply to two senior secondary schools in the Brong Ahafo Region for owing the authority ?87 million in electricity bills since 1998.

They are Duayaw Nkwanta Secondary School, which owes ?65 million and the Presbyterian Secondary School at Bechem, which owes ?22 million. The schools have, therefore, decided to postpone their re-opening date originally scheduled for May 2, 2000.

The Headmaster of Duayaw Nkwanta Secondary School, Mr. Kwabena Fosu-Gyiabour, who disclosed this in an interview at Sunyani, said the security of the students cannot be guaranteed during the power outage. He said the two schools have written to the Ghana Education Service to help address the problem but nothing positive has been done so far. Mr. Fosu-Gyiabour said since 1998, students have been levied to pay for electricity tariffs but what is collected cannot meet the cost of the utility. He said previously students were not paying anything in respect of utilities. Instead, the school was using part of its quarterly grants to meet the cost of utilities.

He said since 1997 quarterly grants have been slashed to about a quarter, making it difficult for the school to pay. Mr. Fosu-Gyiabour, in calling for measures to address the problem, recalled a statement made by the Minister of Education, Mr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, in connection with utility supply to schools during his recent visit to the Tano District.

The headmaster quoted the minister as saying that Cabinet has directed the utility companies not to disconnect any school over payment of tariffs like they did to the universities, until money is found to clear the arrears. He expressed the hope that the utility companies would abide by the cabinet decision to enable the school to run uninterrupted