The sorry state of Asamankese SHS boys’ dormitory

It’s a school described by many as the pride of the Eastern Region particularly due to its performance over the years in the rather popular National Science and Maths Quiz competition.

Many have come through the school to become prominent personalities in the Ghanaian society but what was then seen as the “go-to” school by residents of Asamankese is now abhorred by many over the poor state of the school’s structures.

The boys dormitory of the school, in particular, is now being touted as the ugliest, most dilapidated Senior High School structure.

This is because, the exterior of the three floor-building which currently houses at least 800 male students of the school has become the breeding ground of mold with parts of the plastered walls ripped off, revealing deep cracks, and paint wearing off due to lack of renovation.

Earlier, images of the dormitory block were making the rounds on various social media platforms with captions suggesting the building was on the verge of collapse.

Bright Otoo, Assistant Boys’ Prefect of ASASCO, said, though the dormitory block was an eyesore when the 2017 batch of students were admitted into the school under the Free SHS policy, the state of the facility has worsened over their three-year stay on campus.

According to him, apart from the congestion, the cemented floors have peeled off in all the rooms with the nets torn and only four, out of some 30 rooms having access to electricity.

“We have eight houses and only one has light. Only four rooms in that house have light. We took it upon ourselves to contribute and fix the wiring but looking at the estimated cost, we couldn’t afford,” the student leader disclosed in an interview with a former student of the school, now freelance journalist, Selorm Helen.

On behalf of his colleagues and incoming students, the Assistant Boys’ Prefect made a passionate appeal to old students, private sector, Non-Governmental organizations and well-meaning individuals to support in renovating the boys’ dormitory to prevent the structure from total collapse.

Speaking on the issue, Assistant Headmaster (Domestic), Mr. Daniel Akonnor allayed fears of a possible collapse of the building stating that what students describe as cracks and claim might lead to the structure coming down are marks deliberately left in the building by engineers, for future expansion projects.

Mr. Akunnor however, admitted that the school, particularly the boys dormitory block, needs a total face-lift.

“The boys’ dormitory isn’t collapsing but needs to be mended and painted. The cracks you see in the building aren’t recent. They were left by the constructors to make way for expansion in future. But the lines are becoming more visible due to peeling of the plastering,” he noted.

He said the boys dormitory block, the female halls and several other structures of the institution have not seen major transformation for decades and made a clarion call on past students of the school to at least donate paints and bags of cement for renovation of the male residence.

A school clinic project, an initiative by the school in partnership with the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) has also been halted due to lack of funds for procurement of building materials, Mr. Akunnor disclosed.

He urged the ASASCO Old Students Association to keep the interest of the school at heart and raise funds to complete the school clinic which is expected to house two health professionals as well as cater for students’ health needs.

“I am by this, appealing to all past students of the ASASCO fraternity and well-wishers who can come to the aid of ASASCO to help us put this structure into use by the school,” the Assistant Headmaster (Domestic) reiterated.

Watch students and the Assistant headmaster (Domestic) raise their concerns in this video below:



To support ASASCO, you can get in touch with Selorm Helen via email: [email protected] or WhatsApp or call on +233 240791289