Students of Nasiria T.I. Junior High School studying on a veranda
Pupils of Nasiria T.I. Junior High School in Karaga District, Northern Region, are being taught on the veranda of the primary block after the school’s only wooden JHS classroom was destroyed by heavy rain.
A visit by DAILY GUIDE to the school, showed the junior high and primary schools sharing the same block, with lessons for different levels taking place at the same time, creating distractions due to the proximity.
Ibrahim Muniru, a JHS 1 pupil, said the situation is greatly affecting teaching and learning.
“Every day, people move from town to the cemetery which is only about 500 metres away to bury someone, and their movement distracts us because the cemetery is so close,” he said.
He added that seeing bodies being carried to the cemetery daily causes psychological trauma, and that sometimes they are forced to close due to rainfall.
“Sometimes when it rains, we are forced to close because the rain beats us, and this affects our learning hours,” he said.
The students have appealed to government bodies, organisations, philanthropists and individuals to help build a proper classroom block for them.
In a related development, the Nasiria T.I. Primary School, on the same compound, can only be described as a death trap.
The primary school’s classroom block is also in a dilapidated state.
A tour of the primary block revealed cracked walls, and broken windows among others, which poses danger to the pupils.
Overcrowding at the primary block has forced many classes to be merged, and nursery pupils have been moved under a tree to create space.
Headteacher of the Nasiria T.I. Primary/Junior High School, Mohammed Abdul Salam, told DAILY GUIDE that the school has written several letters to the Member of Parliament for the area, Adam Mohammed Amin, and to the Ghana Education Service, but has received no response.
He said the poor infrastructure is driving parents to withdraw their children and has contributed to declining enrolment.
“Some parents have withdrawn their children because of our infrastructure problems,” he disclosed.
He appealed for a new classroom block to improve teaching and learning in the school.
SDG
Ghana is committed to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which calls for ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
FROM Eric Kombat, Karaga