SHAME...JHS students study under trees (NSEMPA, LEAD STORY, OCT 11, 2010)

By George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.

About 160 first-year students of Ahenema Kokoben D/A Junior High School (JHS) has been battling with the weather as they sit under trees to take their lessons during school period.
The students, made up of forms one ‘A’ ‘B’ and ‘C’ who graduated from Primary Six with high expectation to further develop their academic prowess, were not offered any classrooms in the JHS due to inadequate classrooms.
Intermittent rainfall within the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs in recent times always disrupt classes, as students have to abandon their lessons and rush to put their furniture at safe places.
The predicament of the Ahenema Kokoben JHS came to light when Graphic Nsempa chanced upon them during their usual rounds, and at a time the students were having their English lesson.
In an interview, the students expressed concern about the problems they were going through as a result of studying under trees.
They pointed out that with no classroom, they are denied the use of chalkboards for any kind of illustration, especially, during mathematics and science lessons, where illustration on the chalkboard facilitates understanding of the topics being taught.
Apart from battling with the weather, the students also have to struggle to cope with intruders who use the school compound as a walkway.
Residents who are unmindful of the predicament facing the school usually disrupt lessons by talking on top of their voices as they walk leisurely across the school compound, and at a time students are busily taking their lessons.
Stressing on their predicament, one of the students noted, “ With this present situation where we have to abort classes anytime the clouds begin to gather, we wonder how we would be able to complete our syllabus before we are promoted to form two, where we may a have permanent classroom.”
They said since they were running against time, it was important for the District Directorate of Education and the assembly to collaborate meaningfully and generate the needed financial assistance to put up a classroom to alleviate their plight.
Consequently, the students have appealed to the sector ministry to collaborate with the GETfund administrator to build a classroom block for the school as a matter of urgency.
The students have also made a passionate appeal to the district assembly to initiate the construction of a classroom block for the school to facilitate teaching and learning.
Sources close to the school told Graphic Nsempa that the District Director of Education, Mr Francis Akumbuno, had been notified about the plight of the school.
When the District Director of Education, Mr Francis Akumbuno was contacted, he said he was aware of the plight of the school and had already contacted the district assembly for support.
He said apart from a classroom block to be constructed to accommodate the students, they had also contacted the head teacher of the school to levy each parent to buy plywood for the construction of temporal classrooms for the first year students.
“ The Atwima Kwanwoma District is a newly created district so they lack the needed resources to develop educational infrastructure in communities that lack such facilities at a fast rate, but we are doing our best under the present circumstances,” he noted.