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The Minister for Regional Reorganization and Development, Dan Kwaku Botwe has visited some selected schools on the Akwapim Ridge in the Eastern Region. 

The visit was in response to the call by President Akufo Addo to go round the schools to familiarize themselves with conditions in the various SHS with regards to the intake of the first batch of the free SHS beneficiaries.

The Minister was accompanied by the MCE for Akuapem North, Dennis Aboagye and DCE for Akuapem South, Frank Aidoo and other dignitaries.

The visit by the Minister and his entourage will afford them the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the challenges confronted by the schools and help find lasting solutions to them especially with the ones that pertains to the intake of the fresh students who are benefiting from the free SHS policy by the government. 

The Minister and his team's first point of call was the Aburi Girls SHS.

There, the Minister was met by the Headmistress Mrs Alice Prempeh fordjour who led the team to an abandoned dormitory called Sylvia Asempa Hall which has been left for four years due to the dilapidated nature of it.

The Headmistress observed that if the structure had been renovated earlier, it would have helped accommodate additional 
students who were denied due to inadequate accommodation facility. 

She said the school was expecting 465 students but 410 had reported with 40 being day students. 

Dan Botwe in response, pledged government's readiness to ensure that problems faced by them are solved.

The Minister and his team also visited the Adonten SHS, Aburi SecTech and the Mampong Presby SHS.

The common challenge that was observed was accommodation facilities as some of the schools were compelled to turn their sickbays into dormitory.

However at Nifa and Okuapeman SHS they had no challenge as far as accommodation was concerned. 

According to the headmaster of Okuapeman, Daniel Afare, they requested for 800 but 724 had reported including visually impaired. 

At the Adukrom SHS, only 77 had reported due to the fact that initially the school was not recognized as a boarding school by the system.

Speaking to the media after the tour, the minister noted that the issue of accommodation is general and does not pertain to the free SHS policy.