A week of studying by starlight
The silence of the night at Tanyigbe Senior High School was broken only by the sound of flipping pages and the flick of torchlights for the last seven days. A heavy rainstorm on May 22 proved to be more than just a passing shower when a large tree crashed directly onto the electricity pole feeding the campus. This singular event forced the entire institution into an unexpected darkness that lasted until the early hours of May 28.
For the students, this wasn't just about missing the luxury of a fan or a lightbulb. It was a direct hit to their preparations for the upcoming 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination. These final-year students have been racing against the calendar. They found their computer labs shuttered and their evening study sessions reduced to whatever flickering light their mobile phones or small torches could provide. The atmosphere on campus during this blackout was one of frustration and desperate adaptation.
The path to restoration
Media attention forced a shift in pace, with reports from Myjoyonline highlighting exactly how much the school was struggling to keep academic activities alive. The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Volta regional branch finally moved to the site once the scale of the disruption became public knowledge. Technical crews worked to clear the fallen tree and replace the damaged poles that had left the campus isolated from the national grid.
The restoration of electricity has enabled candidates writing the ongoing WASSCE to adequately prepare for their examinations without further disruptions.
Management at the school has expressed their relief now that the hum of computers has returned to their laboratory. The students are back to their books under proper lighting. School officials are calling for broader support to bolster the institution's overall infrastructure, specifically by reinforcing the campus grid against future storm damage. This incident serves as a wake-up call regarding the vulnerability of their campus grid to extreme weather, which is becoming a more common headache in the Ho Municipality.
Geography of the campus impact
Tanyigbe Senior High School sits in a strategic position within the Ho Municipality, acting as a vital academic hub for several surrounding farming communities. Students commute here from places like Klave, Shia, Avee, Nyive, and Tokokoe to access secondary education. The school also serves the youth from the rural pockets of the Akoefe enclave and Atikpui, making the institution's operational stability a matter of concern for a large swath of the Volta Region.
Electricity infrastructure in these parts of the region often faces unique challenges compared to the urban centres of Accra or Kumasi. Trees near power lines are a perennial problem, especially when the rains start to lash the hilly terrain common in the Volta Region. The reliance on single-line connections means that when one pole falls, it rarely affects just one building; it knocks out the entire facility. The school authorities are now focusing on ensuring that the upcoming exams proceed without any more technical hitches that could distract the pupils from their papers.