Prof. David Millar, President of the Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Cultural Studies, is urging the John Dramani Mahama administration to use the Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces wisely to eliminate schools under trees.
He explained that the use of the Engineer Regiment of the Army would help eliminate schools under trees at a reduced cost within a short time.
This, he believes, can be done by roping in the Ghana Prison Service, which will allow for the utilization of prisoners to serve as the workforce for the construction of these schools across the country.
It has been estimated that Ghana has about 5,400 schools under trees, with 80% of educational facilities under trees said to be in the Upper East, Upper West, Northern, Savannah, and North East Regions.
The situation is adversely affecting the quality of education in these regions as demonstrated in the performance of candidates in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The Ghana Army has the 48th and 49th Engineer Regiment with the establishment of the 14th Engineer Brigade.
In 1965, the Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Army was reported to have participated in Social Intervention Programs (SIPS) in Northern Ghana. These included road reshaping, culvert construction, and borehole drilling.
It is on this score that Prof. Millar believes a combination of the Engineers Regiment and the Prison Service would the country eliminate schools under trees at a reduced cost.
Speaking exclusively to Dreamz News, Prof. Millar added that it could be used to address the challenge of broken culverts and bridges and improve mobility in hard-to-reach areas.
“About ten years ago, I started a discussion with schoolmates taking advantage of the field engineers Regiment of the army combining with prisoners to embark on a pilot of ending schools under trees and making distressed areas accessible.
So, simply put, putting in place structures that will make children not sit under trees anymore when it’s raining and also areas where there’s no contract, no feeder roads, the military can construct their military bridges.”
“For me, the first thing it would do is that it will create an opportunity for prisoners to also live in society rather than being locked up in one room or the other, and they would be happier to come every day to go to work. They would fabricate the thing cheaper, faster, and everybody will be happy.” He stated.
While this move would give prisoners, he believes it is a better option to contribute to community development and equally enhance the civilian-military relationship.
