The parents of the Madina Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Primary school have sent a distress call to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, urging him to facilitate the immediate demolition of a private property within the school’s premises, which is hindering learning activities.
Despite repeated appeals to the property owner to relocate, he continues to expand and renovate the property, indicating his refusal to vacate the premises.
Furthermore, several warnings from the La Nkwantanang Municipal Assembly and the Municipal Education Directorate have been ignored, leaving the parents with no choice but to seek the President’s intervention.
At a press conference held at the school premises on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 the Chairman of the PTA, Isaac Addo emphasised that the presence of occupants of the private property, located in the middle of the school, poses a significant threat to the safety and security of the pupils.
“About three months ago, a warning was issued by the La Nkwantanang Municipal Assembly to the owner of the private property to relocate the building. The owner of the property spoke on TV3 assuring that he will relocate.
“So, we were thinking that by the time the school returns from vacation, the owner of the property would have relocated to a different place. However, such is not the case,” he noted.
He added “The continuous presence of the private property in the middle of the school poses a threat to the children.
“We are appealing to President Akufo-Addo to intervene in this regard, since all efforts to get the La Nkwantanang Municipal Assembly to ensure that the private property is relocated have proved futile.”
Some of the parents also recounted the risks the presence of the private property and its occupants poses to the children, an issue they said should be immediately addressed before any tragedy occurs.
“We don’t want such a compound house in the middle of the school. We are also pleading with the La Nkwantanang Municipal Assembly to redeem the pledge they made to us by removing the building from the precincts of the school, so that our children can learn,” one parent recounted.
Another parent also noted, “You can’t have residence within a school. It is very dangerous. The Assembly came here about three months ago to issue a removal notice to the owner. However, nothing has been done about it. We are pleading with the government to intervene.”
In June 2024, the PTA initiated a similar move, appealing to the La Nkwantanang Municipal Assembly to intervene by ensuring the relocation of the private property, to enable them expand the facilities at the school.
“We have the numbers but in terms of infrastructure, we are deficient. We are running the shift system in the municipality which is not good.
“This means that we are losing a third of the contact hours because people are running away from 8am –12pm and we are doing 7am–12pm.
“If we are able to improve on the infrastructure in the municipality, then it will improve education outcome,” Mr. Addo lamented.
The Head of the La Nkwantanang Municipal Education Directorate, Kean Adjei Appiah, noted that the issue has been pending for long, acknowledging that it was about time the private property is relocated.
By Stephen Odoi-Larbi
