Gontein KKMA Primary School
Formal education is the primary tool that defines a career path and career choices. A stable and fulfilling career is imperative, not only for individual society members but also for society as a whole.
Since 2017, Ghana’s government has pursued ambitious reforms, including free senior high schools for all school going children. In addition, the innovative ‘one teacher, one laptop’ scheme was introduced to ease the burden the COVID-19 pandemic placed on the education system.
Despite the progress made by the government, there are significant challenges regarding the quality of education and its access.
Gontein KKMA Primary School in the Gontein community in the Kpone Katamanso district of the Greater Accra Region is one of the many schools that are accessible.
The community is centered in the middle of the mountains where a road divides Gontein and Aburi.
The school which is in an excellent state has been neglected by pupils in the community due to their inability to attend as a result of the terrible and dusty nature of the roads.
The roads in the community are in such a deplorable state, impacting negatively on school-going children.
This situation affects SDG4 which focuses on education and aims to, “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
Residents in the community on the other hand have on several occasions called on the city authorities to see to the construction of the road to make it more accessible.
“The road looks sloppy and there are a lot of potholes when you are driving on it. You might think you will fall from the mountain,” they say.
At a site inspection, the school location was in a bad state.
In as much as the school lacks ICT equipment and other learning facilities, the deteriorating state of the road has deterred government officials from visiting.
This has affected the enrollment of students in the community. Most of them now engage in commercial activities and only attend school because of school feeding.
Despite the challenges the teachers face, they try hard to teach the children.
I believe it is the responsibility of the government to construct the roads and take care of the needs of the students to make the teaching and learning more effective.
Abigail Awuah, Unimac GIJ Anberrosina9@gmail.com