AHENEMA KOKOBEN JHS PUPILS STUDY UNDER TREES (PAGE 11, OCT 4, 2010)

INADEQUATE classroom blocks to accommodate students of Ahenema Kokoben D/A Junior High School (JHS) is seriously undermining effective teaching and learning as students have to study under trees at the mercy of the weather.
Currently, 160 first year students made up of forms one ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ who were promoted from Primary Six with high expectations to further their education, have to battle with the weather on a daily basis as they sit under trees to study.
Since schools reopened two weeks ago for the first term of the 2010/11 academic year, classes have been disrupted on three occasions as a result of heavy downpours, and anytime the clouds start gathering, students have to rush to pack their furniture into the various classrooms.
Worse, they do not have chalkboards for any kind of illustration to facilitate understanding, especially in Mathematics and Science.
The Daily Graphic saw the students in that situation during its rounds in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs.
Sources close to the school told the Daily Graphic that the District Director of Education, Mr Francis Akumbuno had been notified.
The source said the director was also aware that the high population of the continuous students in forms two and three was around 80 students per class.
The congestion, according to the teachers, undermined meaningful teaching and learning in the school.
The source said the District Chief Executive, had also been informed of the situation at the school and he had donated 80 bags of cement to the school to enable it start the construction of a classroom block.
Some of the students expressed concern about the state of affairs, and wondered why the District Directorate of Education did not collaborate with the District Assembly to build a classroom block during the long vacation.
They said since they were running against time, it was important for the District Directorate of Education and the Assembly to collaborate to address the situation.
They also appealed to the administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to come to their aid.
When the District Director of Education, Mr Francis Akumbuno was contacted, he said he was aware of the plight of the students and had already contacted the District Assembly for support.