In Damanko, a town in the Nkwanta North District of Ghana's Oti Region, a senior high school building has stood nearly complete for over a decade without a single student passing through its doors. The E-Block Community Day Senior High School, according to local assemblyman Kwabena Vincent, reached about 95 percent completion before construction stalled, and it has remained non-operational since 2015.
The school project was initiated under the administration of former President John Dramani Mahama. However, after the change of government in 2016, the remaining five percent of work was never meaningfully addressed, despite eight years having passed under the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
The delay has significant consequences for families in the community. Parents must send their children to senior high schools outside the district, incurring heavy financial and emotional costs. A functioning school in Damanko would cut down the time and money students spend travelling or relocating and spare parents extra expenses of accommodation, transport, and upkeep in towns far from home.
Beyond education, residents believe an operational school could boost the local economy by creating jobs for teachers and non-teaching staff, while also generating business for food vendors, transport operators, and stationery sellers. Community members have appealed directly to local authorities, including the District Chief Executive and the Member of Parliament, to act on the matter.
The E-Block situation adds to a string of service gaps in the Oti Region. Recently, Chale News reported on schools in Nkwanta South bouncing back even as security gaps linger in that district. Days later, the Kwame Danso Police Station reopened after a year-long shutdown, another example of public infrastructure sitting idle before being restored to use.
A Community Day Senior High School is a public secondary school built to serve students within a specific local catchment area, allowing them to live at home and keeping education costs down for families. The intended purpose of such schools is precisely what Damanko residents say they have been denied for over a decade: affordable, nearby access to senior high education.
As of the latest report, no date has been set for when the remaining work might be completed or the school opened to students. The residents continue to await a response from the authorities regarding the commissioning of the facility.
Key points
- The E-Block Community Day Senior High School in Damanko has been 95% complete but idle since 2015.
- The delay has forced families to send children outside the district at great cost.
- Residents appeal to authorities to act on commissioning the facility to boost local economy and education.
