Old students of the Ebenezer Senior High School (SHS) in Accra yesterday staged a protest against a supposed “forceful encroachment” on the school’s land for a hospital project.

The over 100 old students received support from residents of Dansoman in Accra, the immediate neighbourhood of the school, as they sought to bring pressure on state actors to halt the intended community health facility from being developed on the school’s compound.

Clad in black and red, the protesters poured onto the streets, chanting slogans and waving placards with inscriptions such as “Education matters! Stop the land grab”, “We don’t need hospital on Ebenezer SHS land”, “Ebenezer SHS needs Science labs not hospitals”, and “Media let the world know, Mr President help the school”.

They hit the streets around 8 a.m., and marched in the sun, urging the government to explore other options for the project, stressing that the school was the only SHS at Dansoman.

At the time of the protest, the Daily Graphic saw earth moving equipment on the supposed site of encroachment in full action as they worked the land for a possible construction take-off.

The March

The demonstrators entreated the Ablekuma West Municipal Assembly to leave the school land alone for the expansion of the institution.

They said the attempt to use the place for an Agenda 111 hospital project was out of place as the school was as important as a hospital.

“The school has paid its dues and trained many human resource who have served and continue to serve in many roles in the country for which its strategic importance cannot be wished away,” the Past President of the old students association, Dr Nii Addo Bruce, said.

Later in an interview, Dr Bruce said the association would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the future prospects of the school were guarded and preserved.

He said two similar state projects at Dansoman on two different plots had stalled, stressing that the situation could not justify the need for another plot for the hospital project, particularly on the school’s compound without recourse to the school.

Dr Bruce said the school, which was originally sited on a 90-plot land, now had only 45 plots of the land due to encroachment, and added that “the rest of the land was earmarked for purposed developments, including a boys’ dormitory, a multi-purpose dining hall, an assembly hall, a classroom block, staff quarters, a sick bay, administration block and a sports complex.

He said there was a civil action ongoing in the courts, yet the assembly had shown disregard for the suit.

He said the school had responded to government’s Green Ghana project by planting 15,000 timber and firewood species, but stated the assembly had destroyed all the environmental protection interventions.

Education matters

A 45-year-old woman, who held a placard with the inscription: “Education matters, stop the land grab”, said she was not happy with the happenings on the school’s land.

“I did not get the chance to go to school, but I know the importance of education.

 We have a lot of hospitals in this community, so why deprive young ones the chance to enjoy their rights,” she said.

Background

The Ebenezer Senior High School, established over 80 years ago at Dansoman in Accra, is one of the oldest second cycle institutions in the country.

Despite its long history, the school is struggling with infrastructure deficit because of the ever-increasing numbers in enrolment in recent times.

An Agenda 111 hospital project meant for the community is said to have been earmarked to be sited on the school’s walled premises.

It was observed on October 18, 2023, that heavy machines had started clearing the land and about 20 land guards had been deployed to the site.