A 12-unit classroom block at Kikam Technical Institute in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region has been completed and commissioned after remaining abandoned for nearly five decades.
The project, which was stalled in 1978, was revived with funding support from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), the Ellembelle District Assembly and the Member of Parliament for the area, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah through the Assembly legacy project initiative.
The facility is expected to ease pressure on existing infrastructure and provide additional space for teaching and learning at the technical institution.
For decades, the abandoned structure stood as a reminder of an unfinished project at the school and, according to authorities, eventually became a habitat for reptiles.
The Principal Officer of Kikam Technical Institute, Emmanuel Nomah, said the situation created safety concerns for students and staff.
“The project we are commissioning today got stalled as far back as 1978. In fact, it became a habitat for reptiles, and we killed not less than three snakes around the vicinity each term,” he said.
Mr. Nomah said management made several appeals to stakeholders for the project to be revived before work eventually resumed late last year.
He said the return of contractors to the site generated excitement among old students who had spent years watching the project remain incomplete.
“When the contractor came to revive the abandoned 1978 project late last year, out of ecstasy, I had to call my old students… just to inform them that the project that got started and got stalled, government has come to commence it to bring it to life,” he said.
The Western Regional Director of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service, Ing. Anthony Oware-Agyekum, has meanwhile called on industries in the Nzema and wider Western Region to strengthen their partnerships with technical institutions.
He said closer collaboration between industry and schools would help improve practical training and better prepare students for employment.
“I am appealing to every industry within the Nzema and the Western Region enclave to at least adopt one technical institute here, thereby strengthening the link between industry and education,” he said.
Despite the completion of the classroom block, the school continues to face infrastructure and logistical challenges, including inadequate toilet and washroom facilities and the need for a school bus.
Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah said he had discussed the washroom challenge with the District Chief Executive and indicated that it would be considered in the Assembly’s next budget.
“I have noted, and I’ve talked to the District Chief Executive about the challenge of the toilet facilities and the washrooms, and it is obviously going to be factored in the next budget that is coming out,” he said.
On the need for a school bus, the MP said he would lobby the Ministry of Education for one of the new buses expected to be provided to schools.
“The bus issue has been noted, and I’m going to be your biggest lobbyist with the Ministry of Education on the new buses that are coming out,” he said.
The commissioning of the 12-unit classroom block marks a significant addition to the infrastructure of Kikam Technical Institute and is expected to provide a more conducive environment for teaching and learning as the school continues to expand its technical and vocational programmes.
