Following a devastating fire that engulfed the boys’ dormitory at Simms Senior High School in the Ashanti region last Friday, a dire situation has unfolded, leaving many students stranded and without their belongings.
Some students have been allowed to return home, while those remaining are forced to use classrooms as makeshift sleeping quarters.
According to affected students who spoke anonymously to Citi News, their frustration is mounting, and they are urging authorities to address the urgent accommodation issue.
They are also appealing to the government to resume the long-abandoned construction of a dormitory block project that has remained dormant for over a decade.
Background
The fire incident on Friday ravaged the boys’ dormitory at Simms Senior High School, leaving behind a trail of destruction that included the loss of student essentials like trunks, beds, books, buckets, and clothing from four rooms. The first-year students primarily occupied the first floor, while the second-year students were housed on the ground floor.
Although the prompt response by Ghana National Fire Service personnel contained the flames to the first floor, the building’s compromised structure poses a considerable risk to students on the ground level. Consequently, students on the ground floor have been advised against using the area for safety reasons, instead utilizing it solely for changing clothes and storing personal belongings. Nights find them sleeping in classrooms after study hours, as the damaged building remains perilous.
Despite recent achievements in sports and academics, such as winning the Ashanti region inter-school soccer competition and securing a bronze medal at the regional National Science and Maths Quiz, Simms Senior High School is grappling with infrastructure challenges. Students, speaking anonymously, express concerns about the abandoned boys’ dormitory project initiated over ten years ago. They believe completing this project would significantly alleviate their current accommodation predicament, eliminating the need for makeshift sleeping spaces in classrooms. Additionally, stalled projects, including an assembly hall, further compound the infrastructure woes.
Under the looming uncertainty of their nightly arrangements, students find it challenging to concentrate on their studies. While investigations by the Ghana National Fire Service are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire, no casualties were reported.
