The Member of Parliament for Lawra, Bede A. Ziedeng, has broken ground for the construction of a new headmaster’s bungalow at Birifoh Senior High School, amidst urgent appeals from the Birifoh Traditional Council for a perimeter fence wall to halt ongoing land encroachment.
The groundbreaking ceremony was part of a broader inspection tour of newly constructed but currently unfurnished facilities on the campus.
School management revealed that while the new structures represent a major infrastructural leap, they appealed to the government and the Member of Parliament to expand the project to cover the provision of furniture.
The inspected projects, largely funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), include a new administration building, a six-unit classroom block, and separate two-story dormitory blocks for boys and girls. The dormitories, housing 12 rooms each, are designed to accommodate a combined total of 960 students.
Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Birifoh, Naa Debomo Victor Gandaa, the Secretary to the Birifoh Traditional Council, Mr. Charles Jilinku, commended the MP for his swift interventions during past campus crises, including a fire outbreak at the girls’ dormitory and the provision of food during examination periods.
However, he used the platform to issue a strong appeal for enhanced campus security and the protection of the institution’s boundaries.
“A basic challenge of the senior high school is a fence wall around the school,” Mr. Jilinku stated.
“If the fence wall is built, we shall prevent people from further encroaching on the school land. It will also provide absolute security for the headmaster, students, workers, and learners.”
Mr. Jilinku also directed the authorities’ attention to the dire state of the Birifoh Technical Institute. Established in 2021, he revealed the institute currently has no dedicated infrastructure of its own, forcing it to share basic school buildings. He urged the MP and the government to intervene, while also appealing to local parents to prioritize Birifoh SHS for their children’s education rather than sending them outside Birifoh.
Addressing the infrastructure deficits, Bede A. Ziedeng detailed his continuous lobbying efforts in Parliament. He noted that he utilized parliamentary questions and lobbying to compel the Ministry of Education and the GETFund Administrator to act.
The Lawra MP reassured his constituents that his infrastructural drive is evenly distributed across the constituency, citing parallel ongoing projects at Ermon Senior High School and Zambok Girls Senior High School.
While the new buildings offer a facelift to the campus, the Lawra Municipal Assembly used the occasion to issue a stern warning to contractors executing national projects within the municipality.
Speaking on behalf of the Municipal Chief Executive, the Municipal Coordinating Director, Mr. Issahaku Sorku, commended GETFund but expressed frustration over the systemic bypassing of local assemblies when central government contracts are awarded. This, he noted, frequently leads to poor execution and abandoned sites.
“Because we are not those who will pay them, they don’t give recognition to the assembly. But when they bring out poor work or terminate the contract on the way, then the blame comes to the assembly,” Mr. Sorku stated.
He issued a direct ultimatum to contractors: “If you abandon the site, we’ll quickly write to recommend for the termination of that contract so that it will be re-awarded.”
Mr. Sorku also directed his frustration at the student body, admonishing them for a poor maintenance culture that has led to the destruction of school property, including newly installed ceiling fans. He tasked the school management to enforce strict discipline to protect the state’s investments.
The infrastructural expansion coincides with severe operational bottlenecks for the school. Birifoh SHS Headmaster, Mr. Iddrisu Harisu, highlighted that the day-to-day administration is currently paralyzed by the lack of an official vehicle. More pressingly, he raised an alarm over severe delays in the food supply chain for the over 200 first-year students recently absorbed into the boarding house, calling for immediate intervention.
Despite the warnings, the contractor tasked with building the new headmaster’s bungalow pledged an expedited timeline. Originally scheduled as a 12-month project, Mr. Luonteng James of L.K. James Enterprise assured the community of early completion.
“I want to assure the good people of Brifoh that I am going to deliver a quality job,” Mr. James pledged.
“I have the capacity to finish this job in exactly six or seven months, God willing, if I don’t have any problems.”
Meanwhile, the Lawra Municipal Assembly also issued a stern warning regarding the upkeep of the new multi-million cedi facilities.
Speaking on behalf of the Upper West Regional Director of Education, Madam Alice Ellen Abeere-Inga, the Lawra Municipal Director of Education, Mr. Francis Cudjoe, commended the MP for his continuous interventions. He highlighted Bede A. Ziedeng’s track record of stepping in during critical moments, including organizing and funding weekend classes, paying feeding fees during examination periods, and swiftly addressing repair works following local disasters.
“The records of your support for Brifoh Senior High School are written in stone and in the lives of our students,” Mr. Cudjoe stated, praising the collaborative approach to uplifting the standard of education in the municipality.
The ceremony underscored a strong community and administrative backing for the school’s development.
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