Residents and students of Numasua, a village near Tepa within the Ahafo Ano North district of the Ashanti Region, have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the deplorable condition of their school building. Additionally, they have noted that the classrooms, as well as the tables and chairs, are in extremely poor condition, hindering the quality of teaching and learning.
According to some residents, pupils who cannot arrive early to secure a desk for themselves before class either have to share seating with their peers or endure the discomfort of using makeshift seats.
“Teachers are reluctant to accept postings to this school due to the poor state,” a parent told GhanaWeb.
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Furthermore, the report indicates that the inadequate state of the school building, along with the deteriorating roofs, forces teachers to halt lessons whenever it is about to rain.
A concerned parent told GhanaWeb, “Teachers are hesitant to accept assignments at this school due to its poor condition.” Some teachers, speaking anonymously, echoed this sentiment, expressing their dissatisfaction with working at the school. Many of their colleagues, they explained, sought transfers due to the school’s inadequate state.
The teachers also revealed that after rainfalls, academic work the following day becomes challenging because the damaged roofing affects the tables and chairs, making them unusable.
Nana Kwadwo Mogyie, the Chief of Numesua, made an appeal to the government to address the issue and make education accessible to his community. He expressed his sadness over the high rate of teacher turnover at the school and urged government and other authorities to come to the community’s aid.
Michael Birbia, the assembly member for the area, explained that the wooden materials used for roofing the building had deteriorated, leading to the closure of certain parts of the classrooms deemed unsafe. He also pointed out that the lack of adequate teacher accommodation in Numesua was a contributing factor to the frequent absence of teachers.
“You can see most of the rotten woods are loosely hanging on top of the classrooms and this makes it more dangerous”. He said.
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“Most of these teachers who even accept postings to our community have to travel all the way from Tepa which is about 30km to Numesua. Just imagine the cost of lorry fares. This makes it very difficult to force teachers who absent themselves from school”.
Birbia appealed to the local assembly and other stakeholders to provide assistance, emphasizing the significant challenges the community was facing.
