Life is gradually returning to normalcy in Obuasi following Sunday’s military clash with some illegal miners in Ghana’s oldest gold mining town.
Schools and other essential services suspended in the impasse are resuming.
However, some private and public schools are recording reduced attendance as some parents fear reprisals, despite heavy security deployment in the town.
Students at the Complex Model School in Obuasi were back to the classroom and happily engaged in the day’s activities.
In the last two days, schools, including universities, in the gold mining town closed temporarily, culminating from the violent clash between soldiers and some illegal miners in the community.
Like many other schools in the town, the Obuasi cluster of schools, housing four schools, recorded low attendance on the first day after the short break.
The situation has compelled teachers to merge classes for teaching and learning.
Cynthia Atia, a fruit vendor in the town, was busily serving her clients with her daughter who was expected to be in school aiding her sell her merchandise.
“My daughter doesn’t attend AGA school, but I am scared to let her to go to school even though schools have resumed. I will let her go on Monday instead. I am waiting for everything to be calmer than I let her go,” she said.
Life is back to the KNUST campus in Obuasi as students actively return to lectures to make up for the lost time.
But there are fears of reprisal even as they go about their academic activities.
“Though we are safe and go to class and nothing is happening around us there is this fear that something might happen. I just wish everything ends so that the psychological effect on us would be gone,” a student of the KNUST Obuasi campus told the news team.
While students in the Obuasi municipality returned to class, their colleagues in the Obuasi East district are yet to resume from the 3-day hiatus.
Classrooms at the Tutuka Methodist Primary and Junior High School in the district remained under lock and key with no student or teacher on site.
Obuasi Municipal Director of Education, George Koomson, explains the adopted measure to catch up with lost hours at school.
“With this incident and the two days lost, we are going to make sure that our morning reading sessions will be used to make up for the lost contact hours,” he said.
Mr. Koomson believes with the security deployment in town schools will be safe for academic activities to continue.
Management of the AGA Schools have also announced reopening on Monday.
Many other residents in Obuasi are eagerly awaiting the total restoration of calmness to go about their daily routine.