The Wa East District Assembly has handed over sites for the construction of educational infrastructure valued at about GH¢2.3 million in the Katua and Goripie communities.

The projects comprise a fully furnished three-unit classroom block at Katua and a two-unit kindergarten block at Goripie.

District Chief Executive for Wa East, Adamu Sayibu, said the projects form part of efforts to address infrastructure deficits in the district and improve teaching and learning.

“What we have done today is a great achievement for the education sector,” Mr Sayibu said during the sod-cutting ceremony.

“We have purposefully selected to go to our communities, meet our community members, the landowners, the chiefs, the assembly members, and all the stakeholders, so that collectively we can get befitting lands for educational infrastructure.”

According to the DCE, the Katua project, funded through the District Assemblies Common Fund, will cost approximately GH¢1.5 million and will include a mechanised borehole to provide reliable access to water.

The Goripie kindergarten block, estimated at GH¢750,000, is expected to replace an existing structure which Mr Sayibu described as unsuitable for early childhood education.

The Wa East Human Resource Director of the Ghana Education Service, Mohammed Damba Issah, said congestion remained a major challenge, particularly at Katua Junior High School, which does not have a dedicated classroom block and currently shares limited space with the primary school.

Mr Issah also commended the Member of Parliament for the area, Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, for supporting education in the district.

“I have witnessed different types of support from the MP. Be it renovation of classrooms, putting up a classroom block, helping us to organise mock exams, providing learning materials, and the list is very long,” he said.

He appealed to the community to support efforts to renovate older school facilities, including through the mobilisation of PTA dues.

Projects to include improved safety and sanitation

Wa East District Deputy Engineer Isaac Lawerh said the new facilities would go beyond classroom construction and would include modern KVIPs, changing rooms, headteachers’ offices and specialised hexagonal furniture for kindergarten pupils.

“The whole facility is gated. Meaning, if our children enter the school compound and it's locked, they can't go out until school closes,” Mr Lawerh said, highlighting the safety features of the design.

The contractor handling the Katua project, Abubakari Suleman Wataara of LL&K Company Limited, pledged to deliver quality work ahead of the Assembly’s six-month completion schedule.

“For us, we don't do shoddy work,” he said.

He added that, barring major disruptions from the rainy season, the company hoped to complete the project within three months.

“We can assure you that within three months, God willing, if nothing happens, this place will be ready for handover,” Mr Wataara said.

Community pledges support

Assembly Member for Katua, Jatoe Osman, welcomed the project and assured the contractor of the community’s cooperation and support.

“Education is very key to every development, and Katua is no exception,” he said.

Mr Osman said traditional leaders had already made land available for the school project as well as for sand winning to support construction.

“We will put all the checks and balances in place to ensure that the contractor will have a very good environment to be able to do his work,” he added.

The projects are expected to help ease congestion, improve the learning environment and expand access to basic education infrastructure in the two communities.