By Wa West Member of Parliament Peter Toobu Lanchene has intensified efforts to improve educational infrastructure in his constituency, inspecting the resumption of work on the long-abandoned Dorimon E-block and intervening to resolve a severe furniture shortage at a local kindergarten.
Accompanied by the District Chief Executive, Richard Wullo, the MP’s working tour revealed significant progress at the E-block site, which is being fast-tracked for the 2026/2027 academic year, alongside stark evidence of theft and structural deterioration at the facility.
The Dorimon E-block, which has been stalled for a decade, has suffered the effects of severe weather and years of neglect. Managing Director of Construction Ways Ltd, Gideon Kugbonu, disclosed the extensive damage the uncompleted facility has endured.
“Ten years down the line, I have seen that the wind has destroyed the roof, and I have ordered new roofing sheets,” Mr Kugbonu stated.
“Parts of the walls have collapsed, the building has been vandalised, and a lot of the electrical components and other materials have been stolen.”
Despite these setbacks, the contractors are mobilising a large workforce of masons and tilers, assuring the MP that the facility will be ready for students within three to four months.
However, Mr Kugbonu made a strong appeal to the central government for a review of the contract value to reflect current economic realities.
“Over 10 years, this project has been reviewed only once. When it was reviewed, I think that was during the NPP era. But now that the NDC has come, they should also look at it again and see what can help us deliver the quality that we all want,” he urged.
Mr Toobu expressed satisfaction with the structural integrity of the original foundation and the swift mobilisation of workers. He noted that the September completion target aligns with assurances given by the Minister for Education on the floor of Parliament.
“If you had done shoddy work and you were asked to come back 10 years later to complete it, I’m sure you would have been running away,” the MP told the contractors, promising to relay their progress directly to the Ministry of Education in Accra to ensure the school is commissioned for the next academic year.
Earlier in the day, the delegation focused on early childhood education at the Dorimon-Oli Kindergarten. The facility, a community-initiated school recently absorbed by the Ghana Education Service (GES), had been operating under difficult conditions.
To ease the challenges faced by the 36 to 40 pupils, who previously sat on the bare floor during lessons, the MP personally donated 40 plastic chairs to the school.
The sole teacher at the kindergarten, Sherine Klu, lamented how the lack of appropriate furniture had hindered effective teaching and learning.
“The kids are too young to sit on the old benches. They find it very difficult to write,” she explained
“When it’s time to write, they sit on the floor, and that makes the work very difficult. It ends up tearing most of the books and damaging them.”
For Mr Toobu, the prompt intervention at the kindergarten is not only an educational priority but also an economic necessity for rural women.
He emphasised that reliable local childcare allows mothers to engage freely in important economic activities such as shea nut processing and market trading.
“Whether it’s under a tree, under a makeshift structure, or in a properly built classroom, the child must go to school,” the MP asserted. “Education is transformational. Education brings hope to the people.”
