Free SHS: Congestion swallows Yilo Krobo SHS; students sleeping in the open

Scores of students at Yilo Krobo Senior High Secondary School in the Eastern Region are compelled to sleep in the open and in makeshift structures because of the teething problem of lack of infrastructure.

A video that has gone viral captured some students admitted into the school as part of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS), sleeping in the open under the vagaries of the weather.

The Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of the school, Iddrissu Adamptey, speaking in an interview on the Ghana Yensom morning show hosted by Odeyeeba Kofi Essuman on Accra 100.5 FM on Thursday, February 16, 2023, said the problem of congestion has been a headache to the managers of the school in recent times.

He stressed that the of lack of dormitories coupled with the lack of furniture needs immediate attention.

He said because of this, parents are compelled to provide plastic chairs for their wards to serve as furniture for studying.

He explained that the situation is worrying, adding that the number of students posted to the school continues to rise without accompanying infrastructure.

Assigning reasons for the rising population of the school, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly, Mr. Eric Tetteh, said it was the school’s performance in the 2020 and 2021 West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

According to him, over the past couple of years, the school has become attractive to parents because of its academic performance.

He further said the aforementioned, in addition to the school’s performance in the last National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) competition, has exacerbated the problem of the school as parents and old students continue to push for the admission of their wards.

He stressed that this feat was achieved by the provision of a state-of-the-art science laboratory by the Ministry of Education.

The school, he explained, now has a population of about 2,847 students pursuing various academic subjects.

He added he had visited the school on three occasions to assess the situation and very soon the ministry would come to the aid of the school.

The MCE refused to add timelines to the promise but assured that the attention of the sector minister has been drawn to the problem of the school and remedial steps will be taken promptly.

“I have promised not to sleep over the matter because I am an old boy of the school,” he concluded.