Information reaching DAILY GUIDE indicates that Indian hemp or “wee” smokers have virtually taken over the Tanokrom MA Junior High School near Takoradi.
According to sources, some of the alleged miscreants sometimes defecate and urinate in some of the classrooms and the pupils have to spend part of their instructional hours to clear the mess before classes begin.
DAILY GUIDE learnt that some of the parents of the pupils fear that the misdeeds of the alleged “wee” smokers could negatively impact on academic work, moral behaviour and character formation of the pupils.
When the paper visited the school yesterday, it was revealed that the alleged “wee” smokers had turned the classrooms into their sleeping places as they had packed their mattresses and mosquito nets in some of the classrooms.
The paper learnt that some of the alleged miscreants had converted some of the classrooms into brothels as they bring in prostitutes to the classrooms at night to have sex with them.
Confirming the story in an interview with DAILY GUIDE, Madam Elizabeth Mensah, the head teacher of the school described the development as unfortunate and called on the city’s authorities to intervene.
She regretted that since the school was constructed over 60 years ago, it had never seen any rehabilitation and that majority of the classrooms were in various stages of disrepair and, therefore, needed urgent rehabilitation.
“Most of the structures are so bad that they have to be demolished and rebuilt,” she added.
She mentioned that one of the school blocks for instance, had been abandoned, because it was no longer safe for students to study in it, while some of the structures need complete re-roofing, replastering, ceiling, painting, replacement of doors, windows and locks.
The head teacher who took DAILY GUIDE round some of the dilapidated structures of the school appealed to the authorities of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) to take up the rehabilitation works of school structures.
She pointed out that her office had submitted a list of the structures that need rehabilitation and complete rebuilding to the Metro Education Directorate for attention.
The Assembly Member for the area, Samuel Anderson expressed regret that the assembly had not been able to tackle the problem, claiming it had no funds.
He then appealed to politicians from both divides, and most importantly, the MP for Kwesimintsim, to endeavour to team up and find a lasting solution to the weak school buildings in his electoral area.
According to him, some of the schools in the area were constructed so many years ago, and as a result, had outlived their life spans, and therefore, needed to be looked at critically, to avoid any disaster.
