The Weija-Gbawe Municipal Education Directorate has recommended provision of boats to convey all learners who cross the estuary to school on daily basis from Faanaa, accompanied by an elderly person in the medium term. It has also recommended that a school should be built in the Faanaa Community to avoid learners from crossing the estuary to Wiaboman on daily basis.
Honorable Henry Quartey (middle) presenting a reparation cheque of Gh₵10,000 to each of the parents for a child lost in the accident.
These were contained in a report following the drowning of nine pupils after a boat they were using back home after school, capsized on the Densu River.
The report, exclusive to Adom News noted that “Weija–Gbawe Education Directorate in collaboration with Ablekuma- West Education Directorate is liaising with the relevant stakeholders so that school children commute to school safely regardless of the means of transport. However, the welfare of the children who cross the Densu River on daily basis will be prioritised so far as safety measures in commuting to our schools is concerned,” the statement said.
The funeral rites for the nine deceased children were performed at the Palace Park at Bortianor
It was recommended also that life jackets should be provided to learners who use the boats as means of transport to school while teachers should check the condition of the boats transporting these learners before allowing them to cross the river to their homes.
One of the highlights of the five-point recommendations is “Psychologists must be assigned to the children who survived the accident to help them with their psychological needs.”
One of the affected schools
Nine school children from Faanaa, an island community in the Ga-South Municipal were reported dead on Wednesday, 10th May, 2023 at 5:30 pm after the canoe they boarded capsized. They were returning from their schools in the Wiaboman community in the Weija – Gbawe Municipal. Their bodies were retrieved from the estuary and rushed to Royal Clinic but were reported dead upon arrival. The children on board were between the ages of one and half (1½) and fifteen (15) years.
The funeral rites for the nine deceased children were performed at the Palace Park at Bortianor
Faanaa is an island community in the Ga- South Municipal where there are no schools, thus, children in the community have to cross the river on daily basis to attend school at Wiaboman, a neighboring community. Wiaboman is one of the communities in the Weija- Gbawe Municipality.
The report by the GES captured the two schools from where the victims accessed education as Service Awareness Support Organization with an enrollment of 150 pupils, of which five were on the boat involved in the accident. The other school affected is Vision Redeemer Academy with enrollment of 35 learners out of which ‘six (6) died and One (1) survived; the survivor was the one paddling the boat when it capsized’.
Funeral Rites
The funeral rites for the nine deceased children were performed at the Palace Park at Bortianor and their mortal remains buried at the Bortianor Cemetery in the Ga- South Municipality on Sunday, 14th May, 2023.
In attendance were the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Honorable Henry Quartey and his entourage, Member of Parliament for Ga South, Honorable Sylvester Tetteh and his entourage, the Municipal Chief Executive for Ga-South, Honorable Joseph Nyarni Stephen, the Municipal Chief Executive for Weija-Gbawe, Honorable Patrick Kumor and his entourage and Municipal Director of Education, Weija-Gbawe, Mr. Charles Odoom and his entourage and Officers from Ablekuman Central Education Office amongst other dignitaries.
One of the affected schools
They came to commiserate with the bereaved families and to offer their support. Honorable Henry Quartey presented a reparation cheque of Ten Thousand Ghana Cedis (Gh₵10,000) to each of the parents for a child lost in the accident.
Below is a breakdown of the statistics of the victims:
