The Member of Parliament for Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Andrew Dari Chiwitey, has appealed to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to urgently support efforts to rehabilitate several deteriorating school buildings in the constituency, particularly in rural communities affected by recent rains.
His appeal follows concerns raised by residents of Garkuon, a farming community in the Savannah Region, where the only school serving the area has fallen into a state of disrepair, posing a threat to teaching and learning.
The school, which residents say has been deteriorating for more than four years, is plagued by a damaged roof, weakened wooden structures, and crumbling classrooms. The onset of the rainy season has further worsened conditions, forcing the closure of some schools and exposing pupils and teachers to danger.
Speaking to Citi News, the Member of Parliament acknowledged the difficulties confronting many communities and assured residents that efforts were underway to secure support for affected schools.
“I am sure with time GETFund will turn its attention to my side so that we are able to fix the schools. In fact, it is pathetic. As it has started raining, most of the schools are closed,” he said.
The MP explained that apart from deteriorating school infrastructure, many pupils face difficulties accessing schools during the rainy season because swollen streams cut off communities from nearby educational facilities.
“There are communities where children have to cross streams to attend school. Now that the rains have intensified, these streams are flooded and many of the children cannot access school,” he stated.
He cited the example of Bilpie, where school children attend classes in the nearby community of Gojiri but are often stranded whenever the stream separating the two communities overflows.
According to the MP, residents have repeatedly appealed for the construction of bridges and culverts to improve access, but limited resources available to Members of Parliament make it difficult to undertake such major infrastructure projects.
“They expect that we should build a bridge across the stream, but how much can my Common Fund allocation do? It cannot even construct a culvert,” he lamented.
Despite the challenges, the MP said his office has undertaken several interventions across the constituency, including the provision of boreholes, school buildings, furniture, and renovation works in some communities.
He noted, however, that the vast size of the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Constituency makes it difficult to address all development needs simultaneously.
“Sawla-Tuna-Kalba is a very huge constituency, and we are not able to satisfy all their needs at once. But we have not forgotten about these communities. We have undertaken a number of interventions and will continue to do our best,” he assured.
The MP further disclosed that he has formally written to GETFund, submitting a list of schools in need of urgent rehabilitation and requesting financial support to address the challenges.
“I wrote to GETFund. I listed the schools facing these challenges and requested support to renovate them. Unfortunately, I am yet to receive a response,” he said.
Residents of Garkuon say the deteriorating condition of their school threatens the future of their children and have appealed to government and development partners to intervene before the situation worsens.
They argue that despite their significant contribution to the country’s agricultural economy, basic social amenities such as quality educational infrastructure remain largely inaccessible to the community.
With the rainy season intensifying, residents fear that continued neglect of the school could further disrupt learning and deepen educational inequalities in the area.
