Yesterday, the Ghanaian Times published the abandonment of the massive and magnificent structures of Hodzo Community Senior High School (SHS) in the Ho municipality in the Volta Region, built at a colossal cost to the GETFund.
The story said a 24-unit classroom block, dormitories, staff bungalows, the administrative building and other structures had been swallowed up by weeds.
The paper is happy that following the publication, the Ministry of Education has put together a team out of its officials in Accra to visitHodzo to inspect the structures of the community school.
Our happiness is rooted in the fact the Ministry’s action came less than 24 hours after the story emerged.
However, the paper is worried about the abandonment of projects initiated by predecessor political administrations, including schools.
Currently the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dayi, also in the Volta Region, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, is also complaining about abandonment of a school in his constituency.
Our cherished readers should disabuse their minds of any intention of this paper to show any bias in this matter because if we should go round the country to inspect projects initiated by past administrations, we can testify to cases of abandonment, which does not help its progress.
What is mind-boggling is that it usually takes the promptings of the media in particular or some concerned citizens, through the media, to call attention to such abandoned facilities, as if district , municipal and metropolitan officials of concerned ministries, departments or services do not see such problems until they are published.
This is worrying because some people on the side of the initiator administrations see such publications as good for scoring political points against the administration thought to have abandoned the projects, while those on the part of the ‘accused’ administration lambast the media house or outlet publishing the abandonment.
It must be noted that even though some media houses are partisan and always trying to defend administrations they have linings towards, others like the Ghanaian Times put out such stories to prompt state officials to serve the public better.
This is why we are happy to publish such stories as they emerge without any iota of intention to vilify the government.
Therefore, we would continue to commend the government for all its good moves such as in the current case, where a team hasswiftly been formed to address the issues concerning the Hodzo SHS.
We commend Mr Benjamin KomlaKpodo, MP for Ho Central, for coming out to say that the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw OseiAdutwum, called him about the matter and that it was clear the Minister attached great importance to the matter, expressing the hope that the abandoned school would be given the due attention without any further delay.
This interaction is significant and we pray that it would be an exemplary reference for both the opposition and the government to work together for the good of the people.
The Ghanaian Times only wishes to appeal that the government should sit with both the traditional and political leaders of the area to see if the SHS premises can be converted into a college of education, which is the wish of the people orexplain why that cannot be done.
The most important thing now is that the school facilities must be put to use and this is what the Ghanaian Times hopes to see soon.
