Death looms at Anum PRESEC

“We are living in fear because our numerous complaints to school authorities about the deep cracks that have developed in almost all parts of the boys’ dormitory building have fallen on deaf ears…they authorities ignore the problem, but we fear one day the building will collapse on us,” students of Anum Presbyterian Senior High School (SHS) in the Eastern Region told Today.

According to the SHS students, they cannot fathom why they should be living in a state of anxiety in their dormitories especially when term after term they duly pay their boarding fees.

According to the boys, their dormitory, which was built as far back as 1974, has not seen any rehabilitation, and complained that the dormitory was built to originally house 200 students, but now over 990 students live in it.

The distraught students displayed to this reporter some pieces of concrete that had come off the building.

Information available to Today indicate that the Anum Presby SHS was commissioned in 1970 by the then Eastern Region Commissioner, Lieutenant Colonel Minyala.

In a recent visit to the school premises, Today observed deep cracks developing also on the administration and some classroom blocks.

It was obvious upon closer examination that the cracks have developed over the years due to lack of maintenance by the authorities.

Cracks were also noticeable in some classrooms and onother buildings used by the teachers and non-teaching staff.

In some instances there have been partial attempts to spread mortar over some of the cracks, but these were badly done.

When Today contacted the Head Master of the School, Ebenezer Oko Tsawe, he declined to comment on the matter and turned away this reporter.

It was rather a board member of the school, Samuel Kofi Affum,who lamented the state of the school.

He said the board had written a letter to the Asuogyaman District Assembly Education office which has promised to provide pavilion classrooms for temporary use to help ease the congestion in classrooms.

Mr. Affum added that the board has also written through the Eastern Regional Education Office to the Ministry of Education about the poor state of school buildings, but they are yet to hear any response.