In Issah, where children once lay on their bellies to write, shovels hit the dirt and 600 new desks entered classrooms — all in one day. The Daffiama-Bussie-Issah District just launched the Upper West Region’s first STEM Senior High School and declared war on “floor-learning,” transforming a community’s heartbreak into blueprints, bricks, and hope.
ISSAA, Upper West Region – The drums of the Danzine Kulugri Group from Fian rolled across Issah last week, but they weren’t just welcoming dignitaries. They were announcing a shift — from chalk dust on bare floors to test tubes, laptops, and three-story classrooms reaching for the sky.
The Daffiama-Bussie-Issah (DBI) District marked two milestones in a single ceremony: the groundbreaking of the region’s first STEM Senior High School and the donation of 600 dual desks to end what officials bluntly called “floor-learning” in local basic schools.
A STEM First for the Upper West
“This is the first of its kind in the Upper West Region,” declared Richard Anthounma Jakpa, Director for Special Operations at the National Security Council Secretariat and the project’s driving force. “It’s a bold move to give our young people real access to quality science and technology education.”
The scope is ambitious. Project Architect Micah Villa of ANQ Consortium Limited outlined a full campus: an 18-unit, three-story classroom building; a two-story science lab; a library and ICT center; an administration building; dormitories; a dining hall with a kitchen; and five semi-detached teachers’ quarters for ten staff.
And it’s moving quickly. Although the official timeline is 18 months, contractor TMJ Ghana Limited aims to complete it in less than a year. “We’re working to cut five to six months off,” said Director of Contracts Jonah Forkah. “Four key structures — including the classroom building and ICT library — are already rising to their second and third stories.” Forkah emphasized the use of high-quality materials and strict safety standards.
District Chief Executive Richard Wor confirmed crews cleared the land immediately after the contract was awarded. Traditional leaders also threw their support behind it. Kulbile Naa Bismark Bietuari, Secretary to the Paramount Chief of Issah, Naa Yelkuan Bawele II, called it a “memorable opportunity” and used the moment to ask for chairs for the council hall.
600 Desks to Support Learning
But the future isn’t just being built — it’s being furnished. Jakpa, partnering with Edward Benedict Mortey of Geekrows Enterprise, handed over 600 dual desks to district-wide basic schools, directly addressing what District Director of Education Madam Pognaa Saadia Gbolo called a crisis.
“Ninety percent of our schools lack proper furniture,” Gbolo said. “It’s demoralizing for a child to lie on their belly to write. This is timely assistance.”
Jakpa said seeing children study on the floor motivated him to advocate for both the STEM school and the desks. “Investing in the next generation and making targeted investments in the North are essential for bridging poverty and reducing rural-to-urban migration,” he told students gathered for the handover.
The distribution was precise: 140 desks to Issah RC Primary, 115 to Issah RC JHS, 105 to Issah All Saints JHS, 80 to Issah All Saints Primary, 50 each to Issah RC KG and Issah All Saints KG, 40 to Samambo RC Primary, and 20 to Samambo RC KG.
Jakpa urged students to protect the investment: “Don’t jump or play on them. Let them last for the next class.” Gbolo promised her office would oversee maintenance to extend their lifespan.
From groundbreaking cheers to the creak of new desks, Issah’s message was clear: the days of “belly-writing” are numbered, and DBI’s students are finally getting a seat at the future.
