By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The Minority in Parliament is calling on the Volta River Authority (VRA) to build pavilions as temporary structures for students affected by the spillage of excess water from the Akosombo Dam.
A Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, speaking in an interview with an Accra-based CITI FM, was of the view that the VRA must commit some funds to deal with the educational concerns of the affected people.
“The classrooms have become safe havens for the victims, and they are occupying all the classrooms. Some of the classrooms are still under water, and so the VRA must commit some money to put up pavilions so that the schools can reopen for normal academic work to resume,” he said.
The Minority also backed a decision by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to issue administrative sanctions to heads of schools who allowed JHS one and two students to partake in the 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
“The policy is that you write your examination in JHS3, and that has been the policy. So any school authority that violates that policy opens himself or herself up to any punitive measures. The minority will not be against the GES making this policy work; otherwise, students in other schools will be disadvantaged, and the system will not be in order,” Nortsu-Kotoe said.
According to statistics from the North Tongu Education Directorate, over 14,000 students have had their academic activities interrupted due to the situation, as various classrooms are being used as safe havens for affected residents.
Background
Tracts of land, including schools and communities downstream the Akosombo and Kpong dams have been flooded following the spillage of excess water from the two dams used to generate about a third of Ghana’s electricity supply.
The VRA started the spillage at the Akosombo and Kpong dams, both in the Eastern Region, from September 15, 2023, following a rise in the water level of both reservoirs due to appreciable levels of rainfall. The spillage affected almost all the communities along the lower Volta Basin, resulting in widespread power cuts in the affected communities.