By Boakye Stephen, Kumasi, Ghana | Reporting for Ghanaian News, Canada March 30, 2026
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has suspended classes at the Accra Newtown Experimental D/A School following the collapse of a nearby building that resulted in three deaths and multiple injuries.
GES Director-General, Prof Ernest Kofi Davis, announced the directive after a security assessment at the school, emphasizing the need to prioritize student safety.
“We are going to work with the regional and national teams… to ensure that the remaining structures are safe for use,” he stated.
He further cautioned:
“If they are not, we will advise students to avoid those areas.”
The incident, which occurred on Sunday, involved an uncompleted four-storey structure reportedly used as a makeshift place of worship.
Emergency services reported that 23 individuals were trapped, with 20 rescued and hospitalized. The three fatalities, two females and one male, have been handed over to the police.
Analysis: When Learning Environments Become Risk Zones
The closure of a school due to nearby structural failure represents a profound institutional failure. Schools are expected to be sanctuaries of safety and development, not zones of risk.
This incident reveals a dangerous overlap between urban planning failures and educational infrastructure. When unregulated structures exist in close proximity to schools, the consequences extend beyond physical danger, they disrupt learning, create psychological fear, and undermine trust in public systems.
The decision by GES is prudent, but reactive. The larger issue remains: why were such risks not identified earlier?
Until safety audits become routine rather than reactive, similar disruptions will continue to threaten Ghana’s educational stability.
