The KNUST Senior High School in Kumasi is considering cutting down its enrollment for the next academic year as it grapples with a severe infrastructure deficit.
Management of the second-cycle institution says the infrastructure shortfall is threatening to erode the school’s academic achievements.
This was disclosed during the school’s 65th Anniversary, Speech and Prize-Giving Day held at the school’s premises.
Headmaster, Anthony Boasiako Duodu-Antwi, said the anniversary, which should have been a moment of excitement, had turned into a somber occasion.
According to him, the school, popularly known as Technology Secondary School, is in crisis in terms of infrastructure and requires urgent attention to avert a further decline in academic activities.
He indicated that the school’s existing facilities are overstretched by its current population of 4,121 students and 245 staff.
The situation, he said, has compelled management to place some learners in incomplete, dilapidated and abandoned classroom projects.
Mr. Duodu-Antwi revealed that 10 classes are currently housed in an abandoned structure, a development that undermines effective teaching and learning and compromises student safety.
He noted that despite the surge in enrollment following the introduction of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy, the government’s sole infrastructural intervention in the school has been the construction of an emergency boys’ dormitory.
“Since the inception of the Free Senior High School, except for one emergency boys’ dormitory project, our school has not received any infrastructural benefit to accommodate the increasing population that the FSHS Policy has brought over the years,” he stated.
Touching on dormitory space, he noted that boarding facilities for both boys and girls are overstretched.
He explained that without the construction of two additional dormitories, one for boys and one for girls, the school cannot transition from the double-track system to a single-track system.
“This situation affects student comfort, discipline, and the maintenance of a conducive learning environment,” he noted.
Mr. Duodu-Antwi further bemoaned the lack of laboratory infrastructure, indicating that critical subject areas such as ICT, Sciences, Visual Arts, and Home Economics are severely constrained by inadequate facilities, making practical lessons extremely difficult to conduct.
“This limitation undermines experiential learning, restricts innovation, and hampers the holistic development of students,” he added.
On staff accommodation, the Headmaster said that with a staff population of 245, only 14 staff members reside on campus to oversee the welfare of 3,414 boarders.
He said the acute shortage of staff housing limits effective supervision and places undue strain on the few resident staff.
The Headmaster cautioned that unless urgent steps are taken to address the infrastructure deficit, the school will be compelled to cut down on admissions to safeguard teaching and learning standards and ensure student safety.
“The school is in crisis. What you are seeing here does not reflect our status as a technical secondary school. We urgently need more infrastructure such as classrooms, staff bungalows, dormitories and laboratory; otherwise we will be forced to cut down on admissions in the coming academic years.”
Making an appeal for support, the Headmaster requested the inclusion of KNUST Senior High School in the Secondary Education Transformation for Access, Relevance and Results for Jobs (STAR-J) Project.
He noted that the flagship initiative, supported by the World Bank, is designed to expand access, improve quality, and align secondary education with skills for employment.
According to him, the intervention will provide modern classroom blocks, dormitories, staff housing, and laboratories, thereby safeguarding academic excellence, ensuring student welfare, and creating a conducive environment for holistic development.
“If these challenges are duly addressed, we are confident that KNUST Senior High School will transition from a Grade B institution to Grade A,” he stressed.
The anniversary was held under the theme: “Celebrating 65 Years of Discipline and Responsible Behaviour: Pathway to Sustainable National Development.”
Mr. Duodu-Antwi said discipline has been the hallmark of the school since its establishment in February 1961.
He stated that even in the face of infrastructure deficits, the school continues to nurture excellence, producing graduates who thrive in tertiary institutions and beyond.
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Oforikrom Constituency, Michael Kwasi Aidoo, has assured management and students of the school of government’s intervention.
According to him, he has engaged the Minister for Education on the challenges confronting the school, and the Minister has assured him that government will intervene to improve the school’s infrastructure.
Mr. Aidoo added that as the MP for the area, he is also making personal efforts to support the school, stating that he has instructed engineers to assess the school’s science laboratory and make recommendations to enable him to renovate the facility.
He reaffirmed his commitment to championing the development needs of the schools within his constituency to enhance teaching and learning.
The event brought together several dignitaries, including the Minister for the Interior and alumnus of the school, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, the Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Mr. Richard Ofori-Agyeman Boadi, and the Chief of Homabenase, Nana Antwi Boasiako II.
Also present were heads of various second-cycle institutions in the Ashanti Region, students, old students, and other stakeholders.
As part of efforts to mitigate the challenges, the school, in collaboration with stakeholders, plans to construct a 12-unit apartment block for teachers under its Legacy Project initiative, and management is soliciting support for its execution.
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