Some of the pupils expressing their grievances
Pupils of Gomoa Kweikrom D/A School in the Central Region have criticized government for failing to supply them with chalks.
Owing to the development, we fetch firewood in the bush to sell in order to buy chalk for the school, the pupils told the media.
They indicated that the development was negatively affecting their academic performance in the school since they fetch the firewood during learning hours.
A teacher of the Gomoa Kweikrom D/A School collaborated the story of the pupils in an interview with the media.
But immediately government heard about the assertions by the pupils, it accordingly rushed to the school with a box of chalk.
Government’s supply of some basic learning materials like textbooks, chalks and mathematical sets to some schools have not been regular across the country.
However, the pupils have asked government to complete the school’s six-unit classroom block project.
According to the pupils, the construction of the classroom block, which started four years ago, had been abandoned by government.
2nd Lady drama
Last year, Matilda Amissah-Arthur, the wife of the Vice President, was caught on tape refusing to supply pupils in Kukurantumi in the Eastern region with chalk.
Headmistress of Kukurantumi Presby Primary School, Juliet Oppong, who was expressing gratitude to Mrs Amissah-Arthur for presenting five sets of computers to the school, appealed to her to urge government to provide some basic items like logbooks for teachers and chalks which she said were in short supply in the school.
“The elderly say if you want to communicate something to God, you say it to the wind. We are therefore requesting of you to tell government to try and come to our aide with these things which are in short supply in the school,” Mrs Oppong said.
However, the Second Lady became offended and scolded the headmistress for making the request.
“The head teacher has shocked me…she said you lack chalk and log books…I am very shocked that you are today asking me about chalk, how much is a box of chalk…I won’t give you chalk today, I won’t give you chalk tomorrow.
Mrs Amissah-Arthur is quoted as saying that “Secondly, you talk about log books and school uniforms, I think we have spoilt you so parents don’t want to even buy school uniforms…head teacher find another means of helping yourself.
“I will even feel shy to go to Accra and call on the government to come and provide chalk…it would be very difficult for me to do so.”
By Melvin Tarlue