The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ho West, Prof. Francis Dusey, has dismissed claims made in a viral video suggesting that schoolchildren in parts of the district are forced to cross a river into a neighbouring district to access basic education. The video circulating on social media alleges that pupils from communities such as Abotia and Asetakpo must cross the Ayawata River to attend school in North Tongu due to a supposed shortage of teachers and educational infrastructure in their area.
However, speaking on Eyewitness News on April 20, Prof. Dusey described these claims as misleading and asserted that they do not accurately reflect the actual situation in Ho West. He explained that there are adequate educational facilities within the district, which make it unnecessary for pupils to travel outside their jurisdiction for schooling.
“There is currently a story circulating that children from Abotia and Asetakpo are moving to North Tongu for classes. However, there is a school at Vukpo. From Asetakpo, students can easily move to Vukpo, where our Member of Parliament has built a six-unit classroom. Therefore, if children from Asetakpo are going to school, they should attend the school in Vukpo, which has another well-equipped classroom block,” he stated.
He further questioned the authenticity of the claims, noting that basic schools are currently on vacation, which he said raises concerns about the timing of the video and its content. He also suggested that some scenes in the footage appear staged, urging the public to disregard what he described as a misrepresentation of the situation in the district.
Additionally, he dismissed claims made in the video by a woman identifying herself as an assembly member for the area, clarifying that the Agove electoral area is represented by Mr. Jonas Ali Deh. “There is no female assembly member for that area. The person making those claims is not known to us in that capacity,” he stated.
Source: Isaac Appiah Kubi
