THE BEGORO Senior High School (SHS) in the Eastern Region continues to be bedeviled with serious infrastructural challenge, which is affecting smooth academic work.
The school’s laboratory is currently in tatters. The state of the laboratory, according to the teachers, was partly responsible for the poor performance of over 500 science students in the recent West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
They said the best grade in biology was B3 due to lack of laboratory for science practicals.
This came to light when the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) and journalists from the Institute of Economic and Financial Journalists visited the school.
It came out during the visit that on November 8, 2010, a contract was awarded to Messrs MOFERG Company Limited for the rehabilitation of the school’s laboratory, in four months, but no work has since been done.
According to Mr Daniel Mensah, headmaster of the school, when he took over in February 2011, the contractor came to cement the floor of the laboratory with terrazzo but left abruptly without giving reasons.
“The contractor, after asking us to remove equipment from the building, removed the doors, louvres and other equipment in the lab and left without saying anything till date,” Mr Mensah said. He added that in order not to allow the building to deteriorate they have used the building as a classroom to accommodate the new students.
“The building itself is not safe, especially when it rains. The lives of the students are always in danger,” he stated.
Mr Bernard Bimpong, Biology and Integrated Science teacher of the school told the DAILY HERITAGE that due to the state of the laboratory, performance of science students dropped at the recent WASSCE.
He said the number of science students has dwindled because when parents see the state of the laboratory, they either send their children to a different school or change the course for them.
Student’s reaction
Elizabeth Nartey Kwoattah, a Science student, told the paper that she was not happy as a Science student because when she compared herself to fellow students in other schools, she knows she is losing a lot.
“I am not a happy student because we have been denied a lot of privileges as Science students. We don’t do practicals, only theory,” she lamented.
Reaction
Mr George Frimpong Gyamfi, Regional Consultant of Architectural and Engineering Services Limited, Koforidua, said on April 18, 2013, they issued a certificate of work to the contractor.
“Since then he has not come to the site and we have not seen them [the contractor and his workers]. Anytime we call them they complain that they have not been paid,” Mr Gyamfi said.
PIAC
Dr Steve Manteaw, a member of PIAC, said it was good that PIAC was in existence because it is able to track most of the projects Ghana’s oil money is used for.
“When we meet Parliament and other government agencies, I am sure we will be able to impress upon them to make sure petroleum revenue is administered better.”
He added that if PIAC had been in existence earlier, it would have been able to track the mining sector and some of the abuses would have been exposed for steps to be taken to correct them.
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