Residents of Akenkase farming Community in Kwaebibirim District in Eastern Region are agitating over government neglect of the only school in the community leaving it on the verge of collapse .
Due to the condition of the school, teachers are reluctant to accept posting.
The school located in Kwaebibirim District in Eastern region, now has student population of 300, however only 2 teachers are at post in primary and Junior High School.
Few teachers who accepted posting to the school had reportedly left.
The lack of teachers bungalows in the community has equally accounted for this as few teachers at post trek several miles everyday to school.
Akenkase M/A Basic School was built with mud locally known as “Atakpame “in 1983 through communal labour by Community in their crave to make education accessible to their children.
It was subsequently absorbed by the Ghana Education Service.
The community worried by the fact that children in the school walk miles to continue to Junior High School in different Community, constructed a JHS block made up of indigenous building meterials.
However, the school has not seen any major renovation hence the condition of the school building has deteriorated and nearing collapse .
The school building is riddled with deep cracks .The classroom block is also weathered whilst the roofs are in tarters .
For about 10 years now, Akenkase Basic School has not been supplied desks by GES hence some of the old damaged desks salvaged by carpenters in the community are being used by the pupils.
Christopher Okpodjah , project coordinator for the community said , several letters sent to the Kwaebibirim District,and Ghana Education Service however nothing has been done about it.
He said the inadequate teachers in the school is a great worry to parents as quality of teaching has declined drastically.
Quality of Basic School education in Eastern Region continue to deteriorate due to multiple factors including low investment in infrastructure, inadequate TLMs and teachers in rural parts of the country.
For instance , a total of 27,561 candidates representing fifty-six percent(56%) of candidates in Eastern region who wrote the 2020 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) failed.
Statistical analysis of the performance of the candidates commissioned by the Eastern Regional Directorate of Ghana Education Service (GES) indicate that, only 21,655 candidates out of total 49,216 candidates who wrote the examimation passed by securing aggregate 6 to 30.
Students who obtained aggregate 6 in the region were 247 made up of 110 boys and 137 girls.
Out of the total of 2001 schools that participated in all 33 Districts and Municipalities , 24 schools in 13 districts/Municipalities recorded Zero percent (0%) .The district with schools that recorded zero percent were Kwaebibirim (4) , Akyemansa (4), Abuakwa South (3) ,West Akim(3) Asene Manso -Akroso(2) ,New Juaben North (1),Yilo Krobo(1) ,Upper West Akyem(1) ,Kwahu South (1) ,Achiase(1) , Fanteakwa South(1) ,Afram Plains North (1) ,Kwahu South (1) ,Okere (1).
Source: Mybrytnewsroom. com/Obed Ansah
