Rainstorm destroys two dormitory blocks at Sandema Sec-Tech School, over 200 students affected

Correspondence from Upper East:

Over 200 male students of the Sandema Senior High Technical School in the Builsa North Municipality have been displaced by a rainstorm that destroyed two dormitory blocks yesterday.

The Tuesday night storm which rocked the area around 10 pm destroyed the roofs of the Rawlings and Azanti low Houses which are coined in a single storey and also brought down some concrete beams and blocks.

Aside from the structural damages, several student belongings including beds, mattresses, food, books, and ‘chop Boxes’ were also caught up in the destruction. Electricity supply to some parts of the school has also been hampered as several poles on the campus have been destroyed.



The disaster has disrupted classes for the affected students who were counting their losses when GhanaWeb’s Senyalah Castro visited the school. The affected students looked traumatized as they went through the ruins to salvage some remaining belongings.

Management of the school speaking on the development said they did not record any loss of life. It however stated that a few of the students sustained injuries and were rushed to the Sandema Hospital where some have been treated and discharged.

Akogti Solomon, the Headmaster of the school speaking to GhanaWeb said the disaster struck in the night when students were in the dormitories preparing to go to bed.

He said the situation has further deepened the woes of the school which was already struggling with student accommodation.

Mr Akogti continued that the school was going to find it challenging to accommodate the displaced students, adding that it would take the intervention of the government and other appropriate authorities to address that difficulty.

He revealed that some adjustments would be made in the remaining dormitories and other available structures to free up space to fix in some of the affected students so academic work can continue uninterrupted.

“Now, we don’t know where we will accommodate these students. Government and another philanthropist must intervene so that we can roof the blocks so that the students can be accommodated, stay peacefully and learn their books”.

“For the meantime, we are going to adjust some of the rooms [dormitories] for them to use. They will go and join their colleagues in other houses”. The Headmaster told GhanaWeb’s Senyalah Castro.

Mr Akogti was grateful there was no loss of life in the misfortune.

“I have to thank God for the lives of our dear students. Actually, it was something we least expected. If you look at the disaster and we say we have not encountered any serious casualties, you wouldn’t believe it. So, I thank God for the life of our dear students”.