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Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has expressed surprise about the ultimatum given by the Aflao Chief, Torgbui Adzonu-Gaga Fiti V to the Minister of Education to complete the E-Block Community Day Senior High School in Aflao.

According to him, the Akufo-Addo government has rather done well to move the E-Block project which started under former President John Mahama from 23.47 per cent completion stage to 96 per cent.

Explaining on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Hon. Ntim Fordjour noted that the initial E-Block Community Day SHS project should have been 100 per cent completed within 18 months when the contract was handed over to the contractor, but only 23.47 per cent was completed at the end of the deadline of October 2016.

The Deputy Education Minister added that the 29 completed out of the 124 E-Block Community Day SHS does not represent even a quarter completion of the project as the NDC government under former President John Mahama did not commit funds to carry out the project to completion.

He, therefore, debunked the claim that the NPP government led by President Akufo-Addo has abandoned the E-Block Community Day SHS projects.

“In the vision of President Akufo-Addo, he has decided to complete the existing E-Block projects while he starts other projects from the scratch. If the NDC government had the commitment to finish the Aflao E-Block, it should have been completed in October 2016 and handed over to the community,” he noted.

“ . . but the impression has been created that the NDC government reached 90 per cent completion of the project and the Akufo-Addo government has rather refused to do the little 10 per cent, where they are now issuing an ultimatum. It is not true,” he indicated.

He, however, mentioned that the Chief of Aflao was aware of the stage of completion of the E-Block Community Day Senior High School under former President John Mahama before he left office; thus, it was not a fair comment for the Chief to give an ultimatum to the government that has completed 96 per cent but could not give the same ultimatum to the previous government that completed only 23.47 per cent.

“The Chief of Aflao knows the completion stage of the E-Block under Mahama administration to be only 23.47 per cent before we took over and we have raised the project to 96 per cent. This is factual and the Chief cannot say he doesn’t know this,” he noted.

He, therefore, disclosed that it is part of the programme of the Ministry of Education to commission the Aflao E-Block Community Day Senior High School for the next academic year.