The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) announced its necessity to disconnect Accra Academy from the national grid on Monday.
The senior high school faced a complete blackout, compelling students to resort to torchlights for studying.
This development sparked concerns among guardians and stakeholders, igniting widespread debate about the condition of utilities in secondary schools nationwide.
Reportedly, the school owes about GHS5,000 in post-paid electricity bills since July 2023.
The External Communications Manager of ECG stressed that the school would remain disconnected until it fulfills specific basic requirements aligned with the company’s revenue mobilization initiative.
Speaking in an interview, Laila Abubakari explained that one of these requirements is for the school authorities to settle at least 50% of the outstanding bills.
Another solution she floated would be that “someone has to guarantee for them” that “payment will be made “within the shortest possible time.”
“The problem ECG finds itself in is consistent debt. And every month, our debt profile is different. So we have to be more aggressive because we have bills to pay. We have issues so we have to be less compassionate, unfortunately,” she added.
Additionally, a school staff expressed concern regarding the disconnection of prepaid users, questioning why they were affected if the issue primarily involved arrears.
Mrs. Abubakari clarified that it was an unexpected development and stated that her department would investigate how it occurred.