The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive says the assembly will take immediate steps to fumigate the Rhamaniyya Basic School, Community 11, where snakes reportedly crawl into the school.
The school shares a wall with a defunct snake shrine and grove, and the school’s authority thinks, though the snake shrine is defunct, there could be some unnoticed eggs that had hatched, consequently, producing snakes that crawl into the school compound either over the tall grove or a part of the broken school wall between the school and the shrine.
Hajia Zuweira Abubakr, the headmistress of Rhamaniyya Basic School, drew the attention of the Tema MCE and Education Director to the situation when she hosted the latter during a visit at the school to welcome first time school comers.
“I never knew of the snake shrine behind the school wall until, before the closure of schools as a result of the coronavirus, snakes crawled into the compound. The pupils and some teachers whispered to me of the shrine.
“Sometimes, while sitting under a tree on the school compound, a snake falls on the ground and glides away,” she described fearfully as she pointed to one of the trees on the compound.
To be sure of the narrative, Hajia’s guests moved towards the rear of the school where they noticed that part of the school’s concrete fence wall between it and the snake shrine and groove had broken.
“I hardly come towards this direction,” the headmistress said rather softly as she tried to double her steps away from the spot.
A certain young man, who claimed to be taking care of the defunct snake shrine, however, told a section of the media that the place used to be operated by a woman whose deity (snakes) was always consulted.
“But after her demise, the family came to collect all the snakes to a different location. What you see here are only the dilapidated buildings which had been sold to a Chinese investor. But for the covid which resulted in the lockdown and closure of our airports last year, I am sure the investor would have, by now, finished converting these properties into a different venture,” the caretaker explained.
He was emphatic, nonetheless, that there were no more snakes in the defunct shrine but did not dispute the fact that the wild reptiles might have laid eggs under stones, which had hatched, after about a year and few months the shrine was sold and abandoned.
Surprised at the news, Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La said the Tema Assembly would immediately despatch a team of environmental personnel to, firstly, fumigate the entire school.
Then, he said the broken walls of the school would quickly be reconstructed to prevent the pupils from sneaking into the grove or the dilapidated shrine.
“This school must be given the immediate attention to save our pupils and school’s authority. You can’t joke with snakes…they are not playing toys for pupils,” the Tema MCE explained.
The post Defunct Tema snake shrine scares school authority, pupils appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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