A torrential rainstorm that swept through Sekondi in the early hours of Wednesday, May 6, 2026, left extensive damage at the Old Hospital Basic School, disrupting teaching and learning activities and forcing school authorities to implement temporary arrangements to sustain academic work.
The rainstorm, which lasted about 6 hours, ripped off large sections of the school’s roof, leaving parts of the structure exposed and creating difficult conditions for both pupils and teachers.
Administrators, teachers and pupils who arrived at the school on Wednesday morning were met with the extent of the destruction.
Two classrooms, including Classes 5 and 6, as well as the office of the Headteacher, were heavily affected by leakages after sections of the roof were torn away. Portions of the school’s electrical wiring were also exposed following the incident.
Due to the severity of the damage, academic activities were suspended on Wednesday as administrators assessed the situation and worked on immediate arrangements to prevent further disruption to teaching and learning.
When 3news.com visited the school on Thursday, classes had resumed under temporary but challenging conditions.
Pupils in Class 5 had been relocated to a Form 3 classroom at the Junior High School section after a vacancy was created due to the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
In Class 6, desks had been rearranged to allow lessons to continue despite the damaged roofing. With weather forecasts projecting temperatures of about 35 degrees Celsius, pupils and teachers are expected to endure intense heat conditions in the classrooms.
The Headteacher has also been relocated to a temporary office within the Junior High School section as authorities work to ensure academic activities continue.
School authorities told 3news.com that officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have since visited the school to assess the extent of the damage for possible intervention.
The development has renewed attention on the need for timely support for public basic school infrastructure to sustain effective teaching and learning as Ghana continues efforts toward improving quality of basic education delivery.
By Eric Yaw Adjei
