GNAT urges gov’t to relocate flood-affected students to boarding schools

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has urged the government to consider relocating students whose education has been disrupted by the water spillage from the Akosombo Dam to nearby boarding schools.

The devastating floods caused by the Akosombo and Kpong dam spillages have left thousands of children in the Volta Region unable to attend school.

The General Secretary of the association, Thomas Musah, emphasized the urgency of the situation, as any delay in addressing this issue could negatively impact the children’s education.

He noted that teaching and learning should not come to a halt, especially in a time where in-person instruction is necessary due to the limitations in deploying blended teaching and learning methods.

“We are in the age of artificial intelligence, but we don’t have those things here, and it will certainly have to be in person because we cannot deploy blended teaching and learning at this particular time.

“So in person will be the order of the day because we cannot use radio, because, with some of the concepts, you will have to demonstrate for them to see,” he said on Citi News.

He further highlighted that television would have been an ideal option for remote learning, but it is currently impractical in the affected areas.

In light of these challenges, the GNAT proposes relocating the affected children to boarding houses to ensure that teaching and learning continue.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) started the spillage on September 15 this year, due to high water levels in both reservoirs from heavy rainfall.

The spillage has affected most communities along the lower Volta Basin, causing power outages in many areas.

The affected residents include South Tongu, North Tongu, Central Tongu, Asuogyaman, and several other districts.