FIRE DESTROYS GIRLS DORMITORY AT BEGORO SCHOOL (PAGE 11)

FIRE has destroyed parts of the girls dormitory block of the Presbyterian Senior High School (SHS) at Begoro in the Eastern Region.
Two of the rooms were completely burnt down together with trunks, chop boxes, mattresses, books and other personal effects of about 120 students who were on mid-term break.
The timely intervention of firemen from Koforidua however prevented the fire from destroying the entire storey building.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known but the cost of the property destroyed, runs into several thousands of Ghana Cedis.
There were no casualties, because at the time of the fire outbreak the students, some of whom are in their final year preparing for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) scheduled for next month, were on mid-term holidays.
Due to the situation, the school authorities have extended the mid-term holidays, which should have ended on Tuesday, March 3, to Tuesday, March 10, while the affected students have been requested to come with their parents.
The Regional Minister, Mr Ofosu Ampofo, had to set aside his busy schedule to visit the scene together with the Eastern Regional Director of Education, Mrs Rene Boakye Boateng, the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah and personnel from the police service and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), to ascertain to the situation.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo, who was shocked at the magnitude of destruction, immediately directed the Fanteakwa District Assembly to form a committee to assist the students with trunks, mattresses, pieces of cloth , some of the items destroyed in the fire, as well as how best to rehabilitate the building.
He also called on the Guidance and Counselling Unit of the Ministry of Education to assist the students to overcome the trauma.
Additionally, Mr Ofosu Ampofo made an urgent appeal to NADMO to provide relief items while the Akosombo Textiles company consider supporting the affected students with two pieces of cloth each.
“Most of these girls are traumatised, so all of us should help them to overcome the trauma because they will soon be writing their final examinations,” Mr Ofosu Ampofo stated.
Earlier, the Headmaster of the School, Mr E. O. Charway, who briefed the Regional Minister, said when he was informed about the fire outbreak, which, he said, started at 7 p.m he informed the Koforidua Fire Station, which is the nearest to Begoro, and firemen were immediately sent to control the blaze, adding that the prompt response by the firemen to the call saved the entire storey block from total destruction.
He expressed the hope that the building would be rehabilitated on time to enable the students to re-occupy it.
Mr Asiamah, who also gave the assurance that he would do his best for the school and the students, expressed his happiness at the prompt manner in which Mr Ofosu Ampofo had responded to the disaster.