The lack of basic educational materials and facilities is gradually affecting academic activities at the Ahenema Kokobeng D/A primary school in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region.
Pupils of the school are confronted with challenges of inadequate furniture, classrooms and the absence of places of convenience.
This according to them has worsened teaching and learning at the school, as they have endured the problem for a very long time.
Heavy rains have truncated academic activities for the third time, two weeks after schools resumed to begin a fresh term.
The challenge is not new for class five (5) and six (6) pupils of the school who have struggled to cope under the poor learning environment.
The inadequate furniture at the school compelled ten-year old Sadiq Salifu, who is among a population of 800 pupils to use part of his break period to fix a broken desk.
He was busy hitting the desk with a stone to make it firm to enable him sit on it for lessons.
His efforts did not yield any results as he moved the desk from the wooden makeshift classroom, and joined his friend on an equally broken desk to study.
One of the pupils who lamented the challenges said “The furniture is not good and three people sit on one desk. We do not feel comfortable”.
Another pupil said “The one problem facing our school is that, we don’t have enough classrooms and when it rains we close and go hope”.
At the primary 5 and 6 A block of the school, the story is no different as other pupils sit under other wooden makeshift structures to study.
From the challenge of inadequate furniture and classrooms, the school’s environment can be best described as one not conducive for teaching and learning because taxi drivers have taken over the entrance of the school to ply their activities.
School authorities who will not speak to Citi News on record lament how the activities of the drivers are also affecting teaching and learning.
Assembly member for the Ahenema Kokobeng Electoral area is equally unhappy about the myriad challenges facing the school.
Prince Owusu Ansah appealed for urgent help to save the situation.
“Early this year, I wanted to call all the headmasters and stop them from doing new admissions, but when people also bring in their children you can’t turn them back because they are also part of the community. So we are pleading with the directors, coordinators of Get-Fund and the Ministry of Education to come to our aid because it is a very difficult situation.”
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By: Hafiz Tijani/ Citifmonline.com/Ghana