Okatakyi Amanfi VII organises Education Forum to address challenges in education

Asebu - As part of his Silver Jubilee celebrations, the Paramount Chief of the Asebu Traditional Area, Okatakyi Prof. Amanfi VII, has organised an Education Forum.

The event aimed to applaud successes in the education sector, understand the challenges it faces, and encourage stakeholders to collaborate with him in finding lasting solutions to these problems.

Held at the Moree Eco Resort on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, the forum brought together relevant stakeholders to deliberate on issues affecting educational outcomes and to chart a way forward.

On the challenges confronting schools within the traditional area, Okatakyi Prof. Amanfi VII noted that the water crisis and a lack of accommodation for both Senior High School students and staff are among the major problems requiring immediate solutions. "You cannot post people to places where they cannot get water nor accommodation," he said, underscoring that such situations "disorganise them when posted to such places."

Nana explained that this was the reason he organized the forum: to elicit responses from all stakeholders. He made a particular appeal to the Chiefs in the various communities to contribute to ameliorating the housing deficit affecting teachers.

Regarding student accommodation, Nana stated that this was a bigger challenge for the community to deal with, noting it falls within the domain of the government. He admitted that the lack of accommodation impedes smooth academic work and ought to be tackled head-on. "Providing student accommodation is a much bigger project for the government," he stressed. "I know the government has taken some steps to address these problems. I pledge to follow up on them, especially as Moree SHS, Aburaman, and Abakrampa Senior High Schools are in dire straits for accommodation," he revealed.

On the issue of drug abuse among students, he bemoaned the alarming nature of the problem, describing it as "very disturbing." He urged urgent action, warning that otherwise, "the country has no future."

He stated that curbing drug abuse among students requires a three-pronged approach: parents must pray for their wards, teachers must ensure discipline, and the general community must be involved.

The District Head of Planning & Statistics, Mr. Ghorman Justice Owiredu, echoed that teacher deficit is a debilitating challenge facing the district. He appealed to Directors of Education to consider posting teachers to areas where their services are most needed.

Furthermore, the District Statistician expressed worry about the infrastructure deficit affecting some urban basic schools, especially in Moree and Brafoyaw. "Two of our schools are currently running the shift system," he revealed. "We're appealing to the authorities to construct two six-unit classroom blocks to ease the pressure."

Mr. Ghorman passionately beseeched all stakeholders to consistently and continuously engage the community by encouraging advocacy programmes targeting issues like teenage pregnancy and drug-related problems affecting students and pupils.