Eyes on the Ground: Major news headlines from the Upper East Region

This week has been very busy with lots of newsworthy events in the Upper East Region and GhanaWeb’s Senyalah Castro brings you highlights of the major stories.

In the first report, fire on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, destroyed a girls’ dormitory block at the Paga Senior High School (SHS) in the Kassena-Nankana West District.

The inferno completely destroyed learning materials, personal effects of the students, electrical components and roof of the storey building.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but the school authorities said it started around 7 am when the students were in class.

Vitus Angkyier, Headmaster of Paga SHS, told GhanaWeb that some students, who were still in the dormitory, spotted smoke and later flames emanating from the block.

He said the timely intervention of personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service prevented the incident from escalating. No one was hurt but at least 100 female students have been displaced by the fire.

The situation has resulted in all female students been asked to go home. School authorities said the directive was to enable the school to secure alternative accommodation for the students.

Alice Ellen Abeere-inga said, Kassena-Nankana West District Director of Education, said efforts are been made to get alternative accommodation for the affected female students to continue academic work.

She added that the affected students will be given extra attention to cope up with their colleagues. She urged parents to give swift support to their wards so they can return to school immediately.

Female students are to resume school in a week’s time.

Another event in the region that made it to the headlines was a donation exercise undertaken by the former Upper East Regional Minister- Tangoba Abayage.

Ms. Abayage donated medical essentials to the War Memorial Hospital in Navrongo to support in the fight against the deadly coronavirus which reared its ugly head at the facility, killing one staff.

She presented 3 glucometers, hand sanitizers, rolls of tissue paper, and 2,000 pieces of nose masks.

Other items included 10 thermometers guns, large containers of liquid soap and dustbins.

Ms. Abayage said it was a personal donation to the facility. She pledged to seek support from government for the facility to boost health delivery.

Azure Benson Nsoh, the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Health Director, received the donation on behalf of the facility. He enumerated a number of challenges affecting the hospital and appealed for the support of government.

The director said the donation came at a time the hospital needed supplies. He appealed to other benevolent entities to support them fight the disease in the municipality.

Ms. Abayage took a tour of the hospital to familiarize herself with the hospital’s Covid-19 response system and some of their challenges. She assured to channel their concerns to the right authorities for prompt assistance.