Headmaster of Demodeaf appeals for additional dormitory blocks, other needs

Headmaster of Demodeaf appeals for additional dormitory blocks, other needs
Mr Setumte Ametewee, the headmaster of the Demonstration School for the Deaf (Demodeaf) at Akuapim-Mampong in the Eastern Region has appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education to provide an additional dormitory block to accommodate the excess number of students seeking admission to the school.
The school currently has a student population of 531 students being accommodated in the existing dormitories and according to Mr. Setumte, the growing number of students being denied admission to the school due to the limited boarding facilities was worrying and hence the need to expand the school’s infrastructure to accommodate more children living with the condition.
The headmaster made the appeal when Xenders Charity Foundation, an NGO, donated some items to the school as part of its fifth anniversary celebrations to address some challenges in the school.
He said, “When you look at the numbers that are coming up now, you get to realize that there are a lot of people out there who would want their children to come on board but we do not have those facilities, I mean the dormitories are choked up and all of that, we’re thinking of getting an expansion of the dormitories that will really go a long way to help,” the headmaster said.


A boy’s GETFund dormitory block together with a vocational center begun under the Kufuor administration to address the problem has since been abandoned.


Additionally, the school head noted that there was the need to improve the state of the school’s toilet and bath facilities which were not in the best of state.
Most of the nets in the dormitories were also worn out, a situation he said needs to be addressed to protect the students from mosquitoes.
The situation is said to be resulting in the students frequently contracting malaria out of mosquito bites. Mr. Setumte noted that the school’s proximity to the Tetteh-Quarshie Memorial Hospital saved the situation most times. He said, “Most of the time because of the nettings that are torn and all of that you have them getting malaria, getting sick on and off and all that just because Tetteh Quarshie is quite close we’ve had some support from them.”
On the state of the toilets, the school head said, “The toilet facilities for the children are not too good and when you look at the disability of the children even though some of them are deaf, they have other multiple disabilities.”
The headmaster said the donation of toilet pots and window nets were timely interventions which would go a long way to improve on the toilet facilities and the dormitories’ windows to safeguard the students from mosquitoes.
To make meaning of what they see as deaf and dumb persons, there is the need for projectors and TV screens to assist teachers and instructors teach the students, however, the school lacks most of these logistics. “Our children because they’re deaf, they make a lot of meaning in what they see so if we’re able to get projectors and some TV screens to help the various instructors in the various departments, that’ll be perfect,” he appealed.
Parts of the roof of the dining hall and kitchen also leak heavily during the rains, a situation that inconveniences the students and kitchen staff.
The head also appealed for more streetlights in the school to improve upon visibility on campus.

Donation by Xenders Charity Foundation
The items donated included six pieces of water closet toilet pots, window nets, bags and packs of mineral and sachet water and packs of toilet roll.
According to the CEO of the NGO, Mr. Alexander Agyei, though the group has undertaken similar philanthropic activities to various institutions over the years, they settled on the Mampong School for the Deaf this year due to their distinct identity.
“We chose Mampong School for the Deaf because they’re a special school and over the years we’ve been donating to other schools and hospitals and other institutions so this is a special place that we decided to come and donate to mark our five years’ anniversary,” the CEO explained in an interview.
According to him, the items would go a long way to assist the school in addressing some of its needs.
He called on government and various stakeholders to intervene in solving the various needs of the school to help nurture the students for the benefit of society.
Mr. Emmanuel Darko, Financial Secretary for Xenders Charity Foundation on his part observed that the deaf did not receive their fair share of society’s attention and support and called for further support from various stakeholders to help address some of their needs.