DIASO & KYEKYEWERE MAHAMA SECONDARY SCHOOLS: UPPER DENKYIRA NDC COMMENDS LAWYER SAMMY GYAMFI

Significant progress in the area of secondary school education was made by the transformational NDC Govt of JM whose vision to build additional Day Secondary Schools to address issues of access and quality was hailed by all stakeholders in education as legendary. Through the singular social intervention policy of constructing the Mahama Secondary Schools in deprived districts, access to secondary education increased considerably and it was a joy for Denkyiraman when the Diaso Mahama Secondary School and the Kyekyewere Mahama Secondary School was completed, fully furnished and commissioned for use by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama on 28th November, 2016.

Unfortunately, the new NPP Govt of Akufo Addo and Bawumia out of shame, has deliberately refused to put to use this important educational edifice for its intended purpose amidst very flimsy excuses

Currently the Diaso Mahama Secondary School lies idle after Nananom, residents and major stakeholders rejected this NPP Govt decision to turn that educational facility into a Clinic whilst the Kyekyewere Mahama Secondary School has now become a Military Barracks housing Akufo Addo’s Operation Vanquard at the expense of many students studying under very extremely inhumane conditions elsewhere due to pressure on facilities.

Yes! The construction of the Diaso Mahama Community Day School began in October 2014 with the objective of replacing the outdated, old-fashioned and structually- deficient Diaso SHS constructed by the erstwile NDC Govt of JJ Rawlings in 1993 – same as the construction of the Moree Mahama Secondary Secondary School to replace the old Moree Secondary School in the AAK District of CR. This was after far-reaching consultations had been done with Diaso Chiefs, Assembly Members and other stakeholders. Further to this, community to community interactions agreed on the need for a new befitting Senior High School for Central Region’s most far flung District- Upper Denkyira West and so the Upper Denkyira West Assembly, having done all the necessary paper work; and having liaised with the Ministry of Education saw to the commencement of
one of President John Mahama’s 123 Community Day Schools, and to its logical completion.

His Excellency Commissioned it on 28th November 2016 at a massive gathering of Denkyira Chiefs and people but after the change in Govt, the shameful NPP Govt has refused to open the edifice for use just as it promised to do during the 2016 campaigns.

The npp after taking over the Governance of this Country in 2017, tried every available method to convince Denkyiraman to agree to convert this edifice into a Clinic but it backfired big time. The call for the conversion of this carefully architectured Secondary School, fitted with 30 brand new computers, modern teaching and learning gadgets, over 900 pieces of quality students furniture; plus a host modern day fittings, is not only mischievous and shameful, but also, an accentuation of the retrogressive mentality of the Danquah -Busia tradition, from which this NPP Govt is ancestored.
Is it not nauseating that the new dormitory block that was being constructed to house students has been abandoned by this NPP Govt?

The excuse from the NPP that the distance from the Diaso Mahama Secondary School to the old Diaso Secondary School is five (5) kilometers and that is one of their reasons of not wanting to put the facility into good use, can only be a bad face saving gimmick gone bad. Is the Prof Mills Secondary School at Ekumfi Otuam not more than seven (7) Km from the Otuam township? Are students not in school with teaching & learning ongoing? Is the Moree Mahama Secondary School not more than eight (8) km from the old Moree Secondary School but the authourities have moved the students to the new facility albeit the diatance? Who doesnt know that Secondary Schools are always sited at the outskirts of the town initially? Was Swedru Secondary School not sited in between Agona Swedru and Agona Asafo? Was Apam Secondary School as well as Breman Asikuma Secondary Schools etc not sited far away from the town & did it affect teaching and learning? Today are those Schools not closer to town as a result of development? Indeed the cluesless Govt of Akufo Addo must get serious and open the Diaso & Kyekyewere Mahama Secondary Schools for use immediately. It’s on record that the requirements for siting the school called for a 16 acre plot of land and so you could not get that in the town Centre, hence the current location which is very conducive for teaching & learning. The Chiefs were very helpful with the land and we will always commend them.

Before exiting power, the NDC Govt made sure students were placed in the two Schools during the placement exercise under the CSSPS but this vindictive NPP Govt of Akufo Addo and Bawumia reversed it. Meanwhile, more than half of the students who got admission to attend the old Diaso SHS have opted for nearby private schools because of the debilitating learning conditions at the old environment. It was earmarked as a double track school but the conditions turned the new entrants away which prompted this misled Govt to remove it from the list of double track schools. During the commissioning, His Excellency John Mahama announced the allocation of a Bus and a Pick Up to the School. The GES Director and the Headmaster were to go for it as usual but upon the Change in Govt, it was left unfollowed. Is it not childish for the NPP through their substandard Regional Communication Officer, Staga to remotely suggest that the NDC Govt discriminated in the allocation of the buses? Two years in power, they have not been able to transport the vehicle that was allocated to the schools and they are happy complaining?

As has been echoed by many Denkyiras, the Mahama Day Secondary Schools in Diaso & Kyekyewere are monuments to Denkyira and must be utilised without any shred of shame. The crux of the matter is this nepotistic NPP Govt that can’t boast of any capital intensive infrastructural project in Denkyira, is afraid to relocate the old school to the new Mahama SHS out of shame and ridicule. It is in this vein that we commend highly *LAWYER SAMMY GYAMFI* for visiting the school to highlight its sorry state to expose this deceitful and wicked NPP Govt that will allow such educational facilities to deteriorate because of petty partisan politics at the time they have introduced shift system into our secondary education disguised as double track due to inadequate educational facilities.

We conclude by stating what is already known, which is that this incapable Nana Addo- led NPP administration has not commenced a single infrastructure project in Upper Denkyira West or Upper Denkyira East for almost two years in power now and that if they cannot add on to existing ones, then they should stop accommodating the Operation Vanguard troops at the Kyekyewere Mahama Sec Sch & populate the facility with students accordingly. The npp should not debase the intent for which the Diaso Mahama Sec Sch was constructed.

Signed:

*Comrade Daniel Obimpeh,*
*Communication Officer*
*(Upper Denkyira West)*
*0506118169*

*Comrade Papa Ekow Nyarko,*
*Communication Officer*
*(Upper Denkyira East)*
*0244800028*