The Headmistress of Bolgatanga Experimental Primary School, Mercy Yamtot, has commended the Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, for the ongoing renovation of the school, while appealing for urgent attention to its deteriorating toilet facility.
Speaking during the MP’s inspection of the project, Madam Yamtot described the intervention as timely, recalling how poor infrastructure nearly forced a pregnant teacher to leave the school.
“First of all, I just want to thank our honourable MP for this marvellous work being done in Bolga Experimental. In fact, if you had visited the school before, there was a teacher here who was pregnant, and at one point she nearly fell. She came and told me, ‘Madam, because of the potholes in the classrooms, I will leave the school,’” she said.
“I told her to hold on and let us keep praying that something good would come. Fortunately, on the third of last month, I had a call that the MP was coming to renovate my school,” she added.
She praised the contractor’s speed, noting that major works were completed within weeks.
“The contractor has done very well. He used three days to remove the roofing sheets of the whole school and fixed them back within three days. All the classrooms you see have been concreted within three weeks. Interior painting has also been done. I just want to thank him,” she said.
Despite the progress, Madam Yamtot appealed to the MP to include the school’s toilet facility in the renovation, citing safety concerns for pupils, especially girls.
“Honourable, please our toilet facility is a problem. I hope it can be included in the contract. Our girls begin menstruating early, and the toilet at the back is like a death trap. If it is added, we will appreciate it,” she said.
The school, established in 1953, received a six-unit classroom block, an ICT centre, an office, and a staff common room under GETFund in 2006. The block has since deteriorated, with peeling walls, damaged floors, and severe roof leakages that disrupt teaching and learning, particularly during the rainy season.
Mr. Adongo said the renovation was prompted by media reports highlighting the school’s poor condition.
“There was an A1 News report about the state of this school. Seeing it now, you may think it has always been like this, but we are not yet done. We are still working on it,” he said.
He explained that the project timeline changed due to an expanded scope of work.
“It is one of the traditional schools in the constituency. This school rivals the preparatory school, but it was in a state of disrepair, so we decided to give it a facelift. We intended to complete it before students returned, but as engineers assessed the site, they kept identifying additional issues. Our goal is to do it once and do it well,” he said.
The contractor assured that the remaining work would not disrupt classes.
“What is left is minimal. Students can remain in session while we complete the external works. By Tuesday, God willing, workers will return to site, and we expect completion by Sunday, May 10,” he said.
However, the MP set a firm handover date. “We want to return on the 20th to officially hand over the school to the authorities,” he said.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | David Azure | Bolgatanga
