E/R: Truck distributing flour to SHSs topples after bridge collapse

A truck distributing flour to Senior High Schools in the Eastern Region has been involved in an accident at St. Stephen’s Senior High Technical School (STEPSS) in Akyem Asiakwa after a wooden bridge connecting the school collapsed.

The accident occurred Tuesday March 1,2022 when the truck returning from the school toppled over after a portion of a wooden bridge caved in.

The vehicle landed on the side of the road.

The driver and other occupants of the vehicle however escaped unhurt .

According to the Headmaster of the School Mr. Samuel Anarfi Asante, the condition of the deplorable bridge continued to deteriorate however several letters to the municipal assembly and other state institutions to fix it have failed.

St. Stephen’s Secondary Technical school (STEPSS) continues to face many challenges .

Road leading to the school is in deplorable condition. The school was without a bus for many years hence commercial vehicles were used to transport students but government has donated a brand new bus to the school this year after Starr News report.

The School

The exponential increase in population of students has worsened the infrastructural and furniture crises in the school .

But for recent intervention by Benjilo Foundation which donated 100 desks students sat on the floor to learn.

The students stand to eat at dining due to lack of dining tables whilst boarding students sleep in an uncompleted dormitory block.

St. Stephen’s Secondary Technical school (STEPSS ) was established in 1978 as a private community day school and absolved by government in 1985

It attained boarding status in 2019.

However ,school has not received any major infrastructural expansion and supply of logistics despite exponential increase in student’s population.

The Headmaster of the School, Frank Appiah lamented that “the school has never benefited from any package in respect of distribution of school buses from government to SHSs since the adoption of the school by the government in 1985.

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The Headmaster Samuel Anarfi Asante said at an invent in the school last year that classrooms were congested while inadequate furniture forces students to either lean against walls or sit on the floor to learn or lean. The school currently has mono desks deficit of 1,114. Teachers have no furniture to sit on to even mark exercise.

“Students population have increased tremendously which has become necessary for the school to increase classrooms furniture .There is serious congestion in classrooms some students at the moment sit in two in one mono desk ,others also stand and some also sit on the floor for lessons .which is hindering effective teaching and learning “.

A GETFUND project of one storey dormitory block started six years ago has not been completed .The project is 90% complete but according to the headmaster” all efforts to persuade the contractor have proved futile .Though not complete ,the school authorities are compelled to ask border girls to occupy the building because there is nowhere to house them”.

Uncompleted Assembly Hall turned classroom

The headmaster stated that Assembly hall is being used as dining hall and classroom for five classes. The lack of dining tables and chairs force students to either sit on the floor or stand to eat while holding their meal. “This school is also without a kitchen. The kitchen staff operate under open shed making the place vulnerable. During raining season, the kitchen staff find it difficult operating which affects the school’s timetable and instructional hours”.

St. Stephen’s Senior High Technical School is without administration block,” A structure that is supposed to be a workshop for technical students have been partitioned into smaller rooms and offices and being used as administration block no”.

At the moment there is no single Bungalow at the compound for staff. All the staff members commute from Sasakwa and its environs. What makes the situation serious is the difficulty in controlling the more than 1000 boarders especially in the night. No tables and Chairs for teachers therefore teachers stand throughout to teach, have no tables to mark exercises, exams. No furniture in staff common” .

The ICT Lab in the school is very very small which cannot even accommodate one class at a time. some students have to stand outside for their colleagues to finish before they also have their lessons.

Source:Starrfm.com.gh