Stay off Navasco lands - Navro-Pio warns encroachers

Paramount Chief of the Navrongo Traditional Area, P3 Denis Asagpaare Balinia Adda ll, has strongly warned individuals engaged in the encroachment of lands belonging to the Navrongo Senior High School (NAVASCO) to desist from the act or face the wrath of his Traditional Council.

He said the attention of the Traditional Council had been drawn to the worrying activities of some unscrupulous individuals, wanting to claim ownership of lands belonging to the school.

In comments he made about the issue when he mounted the podium in Navasco on Saturday to officially launch the school’s 60th Anniversary, on the occasion of the 3rd Nabia Co-Sponsored Speech and Prize Giving Day, Navro-Pio expressed his displeasure with the issue, stated his disapproval of the illegality and assured to ruthlessly deal with anyone found undertaking development projects of any sort on the school lands.

He stated that lands belonging to the school were solely for the development and further expansion of the institution and not for grabs by few selfish individuals with insular interests.

Navro-Pio clearly stated the stance of his traditional council on issues bordering on land encroachment and said the traditional council is open for cooperation to address the menace.

He urged the public to make information on encroachment issues available to the traditional authority for swift actions to be taken to bring perpetrators to book.

“Before I start with any speech, I will like to warn those busily encroaching on lands belonging to the Navrongo Senior High School. I have been informed about the issue and told it is very bad. People have taken over the school lands and developing them. I want to use this opportunity to warn them to stay away from the lands or I will be forced to take serious actions against them. The lands are for the development of the school and not for individual to seize them and build their projects. The issue of encroachment has become a big problem and we must all work together to address it”, -Navro-Pio urged.

Navro-Pio, who is himself a product of Navasco, and was referred to as “Nabia-Pio”, commended the school for its immense contribution to the growth of education in the area, Northern Ghana and the entire country.

He said through Navasco, a lot of great brains have been raised and are currently occupying high positions and offering their knowledge for the development of Ghana and other parts of the world, a feat he said is worth commendation.

He assured management of the school of his support and commitment to the development of the institution.

“This school has contributed immensely to the growth of education in this area, northern and the whole country. The judiciary, armed forces, health, business, religious entities, the international, national and district levels are all enjoying from the great men produced from Navasco. It’s an achievement we are all proud of”.

Mercy Babachuweh, the Headmistress of the school, who spoke on the theme: “Promoting quality gender-parity education in Navrongo Senior High School: opportunities, challenges and the way forward,” called on government to provide the school with more facilities to tackle the huge challenges that come with the double track system.

She enumerated a number of challenges facing the school such as the lack of adequate computers to meet the higher number of students, the lack of Teachers Bungalows, an outmoded school Library etc. and appealed to government to heed their concerns which have officially ignored despite haven been communicated to authorities.

The Headmistress bemoaned the bad state of the school bus, describing it as not “road-worthy” and not able to support the school undertake study tour and other important visits.

She also touched on the poor state of the school library, saying it has in stock outmoded books and broken shelves and infested with asbestos bats.

“We do not have a road-worthy school bus for study tours and other visits. We undertake some of these activities relying on public transport. The school library is also in a very poor state.”, - she revealed.

She said the school did not have adequate staff bungalows, compelling about 45 members of staff to stay out of campus and travel to school daily. She added that the few available bungalows for staff were also in deplorable state and required urgent renovation.

Madam Babachuweh said the top priority of the school is to build a fence wall to protect its land from encroachment and to also control the movement of the students to curb truancy.

“The provision of a fence wall is a top priority. It will not only protect the school land but curb truancy. Students are able to leave the school at will. Individuals and animals move also move on the compound at any time of the day. A fence wall will curtail all these and improve security and discipline”.

The Headmistress expressed gratitude to Joseph Kofi Adda, Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, for the construction of two toilet facilities for the school sponsored by the Ministry of Water and Sanitation.