Member of Parliament for Weija Gbawe, Hon. Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has renewed calls on government to complete a stalled STEM school project in his constituency, disclosing that despite several engagements with the education minister, he is yet to receive a favourable response beyond verbal assurances.
According to Mr Shaib, the project, which was initiated under the previous administration, is currently about 70 percent complete but has remained stalled following the change in government, leaving a significant piece of educational infrastructure unfinished at a critical stage of construction.
Describing the scope and quality of the project, Mr Shaib said the school, once completed, would stand as the best STEM school in Ghana. Located on a hill in an area known as Upper Weija, overlooking the Densu River, he described the facility’s setting and finishing as comparable to a five-star hotel for anyone entering for the first time.
“If you go and check, you see it’s about 70 percent complete, only 30 percent remains, the dormitories are virtually done, the dining hall is virtually done, the classrooms are done, and the places for principals and teachers are all done,”
Hon. Jerry Ahmed Shaib
Direct Appeal to the Education Minister And President
Mr Shaib confirmed that he had raised the matter directly with the Minister of Education on several occasions, receiving assurances each time, but stressed that verbal commitments alone would not bring the project to completion.
“Our humble prayer, which I’ve spoken to the Minister of Education about on several counts, and he’s assured me, but we need more than the assurance, we need to come and complete the STEM school,”
Hon. Jerry Ahmed Shaib
He acknowledged that governance operates as a continuum across administrations, expressing hope that government would recognise the importance of completing a project inherited from a previous administration, given its potential benefit to current and future students.
Capacity For Over a Thousand Students
According to Mr Shaib, once completed, the STEM school would have a minimum capacity of 1,000 students, positioning it as a significant addition to STEM education infrastructure not just for the Weija and Bawjiase communities, but for the country as a whole.
He noted that residents of Weija and Bawjiase have expressed strong desire for the project’s completion, particularly amid ongoing national concerns over Senior High School placement shortfalls affecting thousands of students each year.
Beyond his advocacy for the STEM school project, Mr Shaib disclosed that he has supported 1,800 newly placed Senior High School students in his constituency with mattresses, chop boxes, trunks and backpacks under his Starter Pack initiative, aimed at easing the financial burden placed on parents during the school resumption period.
He explained that the initiative responds directly to the extensive list of items typically required on school prospectuses, which often places significant financial pressure on families preparing to send their children to secondary school.
Expanded Support Beyond Previous Aggregate Threshold
Mr Shaib disclosed that last year’s initiative specifically targeted students who obtained an aggregate score of up to 20, providing them with mattresses, pillows, school bags, trunks, and sanitary pads for female students.
This year, he said the initiative has been expanded to include mattresses alongside the previously provided items, while extending eligibility beyond the aggregate 20 threshold used previously.
“The conditions are not the same, so let’s allow people to get it, and those who are being penalised are the ones that are actually in need of the kind of resources we are bringing on board,”
Hon. Jerry Ahmed Shaib
Describing the initiative in modest terms, Mr Shaib framed the gesture as a small contribution intended to support and encourage students as they begin a new academic year, expressing hope that beneficiaries would work hard in school and eventually become accomplished professionals capable of contributing meaningfully to the development of their constituency and the wider country.
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