Construction works on a 6-unit classroom block to replace a deplorable Aidoo-Suazo D/A Primary School in the Ellembelle District have begun at a cost of GH¢800,000 funded by the Ghana National Gas Company.
The school, which serves a large area of the Ellembelle North in the Western Region, has been in tatters for a long time, affecting the quality of education in the area.
Speaking to Citi News at the sod-cutting ceremony attended by the chiefs and people of Aidoo-Suazo, a Senior Manager of Ghana National Gas Company in charge of Community Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility, Stephen Donkoh said what is unique about the project is the fact that even before the sod-cutting event, construction of the foundation had been done.
He said the project is to positively impact its operational area and therefore challenged residents to monitor the project for its anticipated completion within 6-months.
“As part of our CSR strategy, project-affected districts and communities are our primary focus. That notwithstanding, GNGC recognises the whole of Ghana as its operational area, since Gas from Atuabo can find its way to any corner of the nation. Hence, Ghana Gas has prints of CSR projects in all sixteen regions of Ghana. If you look at the scope of this project, it is within the Ghana Education Service’s approved standard for a six-unit classroom block for basic education in Ghana.”
”The community should show interest in whatever that is happening here because they will own the project. It’s true that we will hand it over to the District Assembly and the assembly to the education office, but the community is the first beneficiary since it is their children who are going to use the facilities. So they should have more interest in what the contractor is doing, for us to get value for money“, he said.
The District Chief Executive Officer of Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzoh while commending Ghana Gas for the 6-unit classroom block for the primary school, also appealed to other petroleum institutions to consider the reconstruction of the current deplorable mud-structure housing the JHS which is affecting academic work in the community.
“This is a very big initiative by Ghana Gas because, in this entire area, we have about eight schools and none of them has any good classroom blocks and it has been so because the road network is so bad that even when you award a contract, the contractor is unable to haul materials to the site. Fortunately, GNPC since 2020 has started the construction of about 100 kilometers of road upgrading in this whole area, so now it is accessible, so we plead with other oil companies here to support with developmental projects“, he mentioned.
The Assistant Headmaster of the Aidoo-Suazo D/A Basic School, Ike Atobrah told Citi News that although Ghana Gas is helping with a 6-unit classroom block, the current structure of the Junior High school is not suitable for any serious academic work.
“We thank Ghana Gas for the 6-unit classroom block it is putting up for our Primary school, but when you look at the JHS block, it is in very bad shape. Even the pupils are not happy to sit in such a building to learn. It is a big problem that we are facing so we are pleading with all and sundry to come to our aid. So we are pleading once again that the NGO, the Government, and other stakeholders help us“, he noted.