Pupils of Nankese Ada M/A Primary School Study in Deplorable Structure.
Pupils of Nankese Ada M/A Primary School say they encounter reptiles anytime they come to school due deplorable school structure.
Pupils at Nankese Ada M/A Primary School in the Suhum Municipality of the Eastern Region have been learning inside a deplorable, building structure which poses a danger to their lives and academic activities for many years now.
Nankese Ada is an Akan dialect which literally means squeeze your eyes and figuratively means endure.
The deplorable condition under which the pupils learn is discouraging parents from enrolling their children of school-going age into the school for fear of endangering their lives.
While some of them stay home, other children are enduring the long-distance trekking they do every day to and from a school outside the Ada community.
Teachers posted to Ada to teach in the deplorable-looking school are compelled to close early against GES stipulated time, especially when the clouds gather and threaten to rain.
The teachers on daily bases commute miles to the school from Nankese and Suhum due to the lack of teachers' bungalows in the community.
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Some of them do not feel encouraged to teach in the school due to the terrible nature of the school building.
During Alrich24newsgh.com news reporter Apelete Kofi-Michel's visit to the Ada community, speaking to the pupils, some of whom were interviewed, said they battle with all kinds of reptiles on their way to school and during school hours, all in their quest to get education.
"I attend school at Ada M/A Primary. Before we come to school, goats would have come and ease themselves into our classrooms and sometimes snakes come around when we are in school".
"When it rains, water leaks on us and the sun also scorches us because of the way the structure of the school building is", students said.
Some of the students also recounted that It takes us more effort to sweep the classrooms and the compound because animals come to litter a lot here. This makes us tired even before classes start and it affects our learning.
We are therefore appealing to the government to bring us textbooks so we can learn. We also do not have teachers in the school. The government should come and assist us, the students appealed.
Established in 1989 with a 3-unit pavilion classroom structure built from muddy bricks touched with bamboo sticks, Ada Primary School has never seen any major renovation since then. This has hampered effective teaching and learning.
The school's structure from KG classes to Six(6) is in tatters with dusty floors and very outmoded roofing which also exposes teachers and pupils to bad weather conditions and infections.
The nature of the school structure, according to some parents and opinion leaders, is demoralizing teachers posted to the community.
The SMC Chairman, Mr Benjamin Ayitevi speaking with Alrich24newsgh.com news reporter Apelete Kofi-Michel, said
the woefully inadequate teaching and learning materials, including textbooks, are also a major worry to teachers and pupils.
The school has no computer lab and computers for ICT lessons but the pupils are made to write class examinations on the subject.
This school building was built over 34 years now. It was built by the Unit committee and not by the government. We had a cocoa farm that we hoped to sell and use the proceeds to renovate the building but it was gutted by fire and we had nothing left.
We only appeal to the government to come to our aid and help complete the school building for us. We are ready to offer free labour. The government should just provide the building materials.
Many children from this community trek to farther communities to access school, an opinion leader, Benjamin Ayitevi said currently the school has a population of 35 pupils.
The Assembly manAssemblymana Hon. Emmanuel Ahwoa told Alrich24newsgh.com news reporter Apelete Kofi-Michel, that the government should come to our aid to complete the school block to retain the children in this community. Teachers are not encouraged to stay here because of the nature of the building.
Snakes have infested the building and prevented teaching and learning. We are ready to entertain the teachers as a community but because of the lack of good facilities and amenities, they are unhappy staying here.
Story by Kofi Michel/Alrich24newsgh.com
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