There is a looming disaster as Pupils of Bamvim Presby Primary school in the Tamale Metropolis of the Northern region learn in a dilapidated classroom which can be described as a death trap.
The classroom block for the Bamvim Presby Primary school was affected by heavy rains which destroyed the classrooms.
The Bamvim Presby Primary school was established in 1960 with a population of 715 pupils.
The school has never seen any renovation ever since it was established.
A visit to the school by DGN Online showed that pupils were compelled to study under trees due to the lack of classrooms.
The school authorities have been forced to combine primary 2 to 5 under the tree while primary 1 occupies part of the classroom which has been partly destroyed.
DGN Online observed that the partly destroyed classroom where the primary 1 pupils are occupying has several cracks all over the building with some parts of the building peeling off.
A teacher who spoke to DGN Online on the condition of anonymity said the situation has greatly affected teaching and learning in the school.
According to the teacher, school authorities are always compelled to allow the pupils to go home when it starts to rain.
“ Because we teach them under the tree when it starts to rain we allow them to go home because they can not sit in the rain so that’s the extent to which the situation is affecting us.”
The teacher however revealed to DGN Online that the issue has been reported to the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly but to no avail.
The teacher appealed to the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, the Member of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, philanthropists, and individuals to come to their aid and provide them with classrooms and furniture to enhance teaching and learning in the school.
Ghana Education Service
The Metro Director of Education of the Tamale Metropolis, Amatus D Tug-uu, in an interview with DGN Online, said the classroom is a danger to the pupils’ the reason why they have been compelled to allow the pupils to study under the tree.
“ Part of the classroom wall has fallen and that exposes the pupils to danger and we don’t know when the other part will also fall and so that explains why they are sitting under the tree for teaching and learning.”
He, however, disclosed that the situation has been reported and the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly has promised to fix the classrooms to create an enabling environment for the pupils to study under good conditions.
SDG 4
The Sustainable Development Goal 4, which Ghana has signed on, calls for ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all but the situation at the Bamvim Presby Primary school is denying the pupils that opportunity.
Some pupils studying under a tree at Bamvim Presby Primary in Tamale
FROM Eric Kombat, Bamvim