Biilinlink Faustina and her classmates studying on the bare floor
There seems to be little hope for Biilinlink Faustina, a 7-year-old pupil at Najong Gbinbanon Primary School, whose dream is to become a teacher to educate and inspire children in her village, Najong 1, located in the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri district of the North East region.
Every day, Faustina walks barefoot several kilometers to school, often without a proper uniform. Her quest for quality education has led her to sit on the bare floor to study.
Faustina and her classmates endure harsh conditions in their pursuit of a high-quality education.
During a visit by DGN Online to Najong Gbinbanon Primary School, it was observed that Faustina and her classmates lying on their bellies while others sat on stones to study. The fortunate few had access to weak and nearly broken desks in a dusty, dilapidated classroom, where multiple cracks in the walls posed a danger to all the students.
Faustina called on the government and other organizations to assist them with furniture, classrooms, and learning materials to create a conducive environment for learning, enabling them to become the future leaders of their community and Ghana as a whole.
The Headteacher of Najong Gbinbanon Primary School, Sampo Duut, told DGN Online that the lack of furniture, classroom infrastructure, and learning materials has significantly hindered teaching and learning at the school.
According to him, they have been forced to merge various classes into a class each due to the shortage of classrooms and furniture for the pupils.
“As you can see, the classroom block is in poor condition for teaching and learning, posing a danger to both the pupils and the teachers and we do not have adequate furniture to accommodate the pupils.”
He appealed to organizations, institutions, and individuals to assist the school by providing school uniforms, furniture, learning materials, and infrastructure to enhance teaching and learning in the school.
In the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri District, approximately about 10,589 pupils are enrolled in various primary schools, with 6,307 (59.6%) lacking access to furniture. This situation has forced many students to study on bare floors.
At the kindergarten level, about 3,804 pupils are without furniture out of a total enrollment of 3,993 in the district.
Ghana has signed onto SDG 4 which calls for ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all but the lack of access to furniture, uniforms, and other learning materials at Najong Gbinbanon Primary School could deny the pupils the opportunity to good quality education.
Meanwhile, a six-unit classroom block under construction has been stalled for some time due to financial challenges, and efforts to reach the authorities for comment on the situation have proven futile.
BY Eric Kombat, Najong