O/R Dindor D/A primary, JHS School cries for classroom block and desks
When they talk about poor educational infrastructure in rural communities in Ghana, most people focus is on school under trees but not thinking about schools build with mud and roofed with thatch.
Year school started
Dindor is a community which is located in krachi Nchumuru district at the Oti region. The school which was established by the first president of the Republic of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah in the year 1962 in collaboration with the chief of Dindor, late Nana Kwaku Brukum’s and then headmaster of the school is Mr. Mansah from Dogoman with other two teachers named Nana Obrejawe and Mr. Donkor has not got any development since then.
Nkrumah overthrown
Kwame Nkrumah promised to build them a good infrastructure to eradicate the school build with mud but he fulfills did not come true when he was overthrown in 1966 by the National Liberation Council which under the supervision of international financial institutions privatized many of the country’s state corporations.
School with three pavilions
Since then the school building has not been built to date and rain has taken off the mud and it has become a pavilion. The school is 58 years now and has set as a death trap for the students. The school has three pavilions, those three pavilions can not contain the students from class one to six with a total population of 250 pupils. The community raises additional pavilions with wood using grass as roof and other classes also take place under trees till now.
turned to a death trap
One of the student’s names, Kumah Raheal said they don’t have a lot of teachers in the school. She said due to lack of teachers, they can not complete their syllabus. Raheal said it will not help them in terms of competing with their other school colleagues in the cities.
According to a pupil-teacher at the school, Madam Ruby all the wood supporting the classrooms made from mud is rotten and has now turned to a death trap that can full-down and kill a teacher or a madam. She said the safety of the teachers in that poor pavilion is not good.
community support
A Junior High School teacher, Augustine Ndesah said since he was posted to the school, he has not seen any developmental project in the school. He said always the community normally put things together to support the school. Ndesah mentions that the community has contributed to constructing a school block for the school but it did not materials. He said the contribution they make helps them to mold blocks.
Total number of students and teachers
The school has 4 Government Teachers from primary 1 to 6, and form JHS 1 to 3 two teachers and 4 Community teachers supporting the student. He said must of the student have dropout due to the poor nature of the school. The student has remained 250 from primary to JHS.
Community lacks education
A Community member, Mr. Kwame Ketewa Vicent said when school infrastructure is in such deplorable state children suffer and parents are always worried. Pupils are also not motivated to study. He said they are worried about the future of their children. Vicent said when the clouds start to gather, the school has no choice but to close. He said the pavilion can not shelter the school children so the only solution for them is to close and run home for shelter. Vicent said the community is lacking education. He said the government has neglected them in all the things that can help improve education, in-terms of school building, chairs, and school feeding program.
Lack of learning materials
The P. T. A chairman of the school, Sokobofo Joesam also added that the school has been established for a long time but Knows proper building in the school. He said the students have no desks to seat on it to study and even some of the K. G pupils are sitting on the floor to learn.
Joesam said the school has no teaching and learning materials that are affecting teaching and learning in the school. He said aside from teaching and learning, the student has to ration learning due to lack of teachers. One teacher has to finish with one class before attending to another class.
P. T. A chairman said are their community not part of Ghana, he questions the Government. Joesam mentions that the mp and DCE in the area know the condition of the school. He said the MP lass came to their aid when rain take of the roofs. Joesam said children who study in such unacceptable conditions would always lag behind.
called for support
Inadequate teachers, learning materials and no textbooks, it seems the state is complicit in setting up pupils in some rural district to fail. He, therefore, stand on behalf of the elders, P.T.A, teachers, students and all the people of Dindor cried aloud to the government, NGO’s, stakeholders and individuals to come to their aid, in order to build a new school building for them in other to help to improved learning in the school and the community as well.
District does not generate much money to build a school
Meanwhile, the Krachi Nchumuru District Chief Executive says although he is keen on constructing more schools in the district, his district does not generate much money to do that. He called on the central government and development partners to come to their aid.
School projects completed
The MP for Krachi Nchumburu constituency, Hon John Majisi, said must of his school project is completed and some not completed due to the district assembly and the government an ability to release funding for him to complete them. Majisi said the schools in his district are in his heart, if constructed, it will help him and the people in his constituency.
Below a video of a communitywatchdoggg.com report on the school
Story and video by Mark Sandow leading community journalist at Communitywatchdoggh.com, from KrachiNchumburu district in the Oti Region. The reason for publishing this story is to inform readers about the poor education conditions on the local level. Since this is a website for local news and community development in the rural area of Ghana, it fits the scope of communitywatchdoggh.com.
