The Ghana Education Service,GES, has ordered the immediate closure of the Accra Newtown Experimental D/A School following a tragic building collapse that claimed three lives and left several others injured, triggering urgent national concern over safety standards in and around school environments.
The directive comes after an uncompleted multi storey structure within the school’s vicinity collapsed during a church service on Sunday, trapping worshippers beneath the debris. Emergency services confirmed that a total of 23 people were caught in the incident, with 20 successfully rescued and rushed to various health facilities, while three fatalities were recorded after verification across hospitals and response teams.
In response to the tragedy, the Ghana Education Service moved swiftly to suspend all academic activities at the school, directing students to stay home until further notice. Authorities say the decision is a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff while a full structural assessment of the area is conducted.
Director General of the service, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, indicated that the closure followed a high level safety inspection and forms part of broader emergency measures to prevent further risk. He confirmed that an urgent meeting involving technical experts and estate management teams will be held to evaluate the integrity of existing structures within the school premises and determine whether they are safe for continued use.
“Students should not report to school until we are sure that the environment is safe,” he stressed, underscoring the seriousness of the situation and the zero tolerance approach being adopted toward safety risks.
Preliminary reports suggest that the collapsed structure had been abandoned for years and was being used as a makeshift place of worship at the time of the incident. Authorities have also revealed that warnings had previously been issued regarding the unsafe condition of the building, raising concerns about enforcement lapses and the continued use of incomplete structures for public activities.
The disaster has reignited a broader national conversation about infrastructure safety, particularly in densely populated urban areas where abandoned or poorly maintained buildings often coexist with schools and residential communities. Experts have long warned that such structures pose significant risks, especially when repurposed without proper structural certification.
Emergency response teams, including the Ghana National Fire Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation and the Ghana Ambulance Service, played a critical role in rescuing survivors from the rubble. The operation, which extended into the night, highlighted both the urgency of the situation and the coordinated efforts required to manage such disasters.
Government officials, including ministers and local authorities, have since visited the site, with calls intensifying for stricter enforcement of building regulations and routine inspections of structures near schools. The incident has also prompted renewed scrutiny of abandoned public projects, some of which remain incomplete for years yet continue to be accessed by communities.
Beyond the immediate tragedy, the closure of the school signals a shift toward a more proactive safety approach within Ghana’s education system. The outcome of the planned emergency meeting is expected to shape both immediate interventions and longer term policy decisions, including possible demolition of unsafe structures, relocation of students or nationwide audits of school environments.
For parents and residents in Accra Newtown, the incident has raised deep concerns about the safety of educational spaces across the country. It also highlights a recurring issue where infrastructure challenges intersect with social and economic realities, creating vulnerabilities that can have devastating consequences.
As investigations continue into the exact cause of the collapse, authorities are under pressure to ensure accountability and prevent similar incidents in the future. The coming days will be critical in determining how quickly the school can safely reopen and what broader reforms will be introduced to strengthen infrastructure oversight across Ghana.
Advans Ghana honours clients for consistent savings in nationwide promotional awards