The Ejisu Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region has commissioned a modern six-classroom block equipped with a library, a teachers' common room and a storeroom at Ejisu Model School, as part of targeted measures to eliminate classroom overcrowding and prevent heat-related health issues among pupils.

Speaking to journalists during today’s commissioning ceremony, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ejisu, Jerryne Asante, stated that the facility, furnished with lighting and ceiling fans, aims to significantly improve the learning environment for pupils who previously endured severely congested conditions that affected their academic and physical well-being.

"The classroom was congested with 50, 60 or 70 students," Mrs Asante said, adding, "If a student had to go out while in the classroom, he had to walk through their colleagues' chairs before he could do so. That's why we decided to build more classroom blocks for the students."

Mrs Asante noted that the inclusion of ceiling fans and adequate lighting in the new facility was specifically designed to mitigate high indoor temperatures, which have reportedly caused skin conditions among schoolchildren.

"As you can see, the classrooms are very large and furnished with lights and fans to prevent them from getting too hot and causing skin diseases," she added, stating, "My wards are here, so I know the challenges they are confronting; they are infected with skin diseases when they come home because of the heat."

She stated that the Ejisu Model School project forms part of a broader infrastructure drive across the municipality, adding that the assembly is currently managing approximately 48 education-related projects, including multi-storey educational structures, dormitory blocks, administration complexes, libraries and several six-classroom blocks.

"When we came to power, the classrooms that we've built, the dormitory blocks we've built, administration blocks, libraries, and other school facilities, if we aggregate them, are about 48 projects that we are embarking on in the Ejisu Municipal," Mrs Asante said, explaining, "Some of them are 4- to 5-storey buildings and many other six-classroom blocks. Currently, we've commissioned five, and this one makes it six, as we are planning to commission the others that are left."

Alongside structural developments, she stated that the assembly is implementing targeted interventions to eliminate out-of-pocket educational costs for parents, particularly those relating to seating and learning materials.

"In Ejisu Municipal, when your ward is going to school, they ask them to buy chairs. We want to get rid of this in Ejisu," Mrs Asante stated.

She highlighted that the assembly has already distributed 4,000 desks, recently supplied an additional 3,000 and plans to procure and allocate 10,000 more desks across basic schools in the municipality.

Mrs Asante stated that the assembly is also distributing free textbooks to ensure pupils are fully resourced without placing a financial burden on their families.

Addressing ongoing infrastructure deficits, she revealed that residential quarters for teaching staff are under construction to resolve housing shortages, adding that the assembly plans to break ground on projects aimed at eliminating the remaining instances of pupils studying under trees.

Some of the students expressed appreciation for the project, stating that it will improve their learning environment and make it more conducive to study.