The destruction of two classroom blocks of the Kukuruzua primary school in the Bawku West District in the Upper East Region is negatively affecting the teaching, learning and enrollment of school pupils.
The roofs of a two-unit classroom block constructed by community members in 2011 to accommodate Kindergarten One and Two pupils, together with a three-unit classroom block constructed in 2004, were ripped off during a heavy storm in April this year.
The three-unit classroom block accommodated pupils in primary one, two and three respectively.
As a result of the damage to the classroom blocks, the school, which hitherto had a total of 411 pupils from Kindergarten to Primary Six, has had its enrolment reduced to 293. The affected pupils have been withdrawn by their parents due to the absence of proper classroom blocks to house them.
After the roofs of the classroom structures which were already showing signs of weakness were ripped off, the school authorities were compelled to relocate the affected pupils under some trees in the school for their studies.
Currently, it is only the pupils occupying the remaining two blocks, which are a three-unit classroom housing primary four, five and six, as well as another three-unit JHS block, that have a roof over their heads.
Destruction
The destroyed three-unit primary one-to-three-classroom block was constructed in 2004 as part of the Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) project and had its roof ripped off in 2015. It later was re-roofed through the efforts of the Parents Association (PA) of the school.
Again, in 2017, the roof was destroyed by heavy rains, but it was re-roofed by the PA. However, because this year’s destruction of the classroom block was beyond the capacity of the PA, it forced them to report the incident to the district assembly.
Although since the incident officials of the assembly have assured them of constructing a temporary structure to be used by the affected pupils to bring relief to the staff and pupils, nothing has been done about it as yet.
Plight
The current situation in the school has compelled both teachers and pupils to improvise to be able to take part in academic activities daily.
Also, due to a lack of the needed desks, together with tables and chairs, the pupils have no option but to sit on the dusty floor in the open every day to participate in teaching and learning, a development which has made it very difficult for the pupils to concentrate while lessons are ongoing.
A difficulty encountered by the teachers daily is their struggle to fasten paper cardboard against the trees to teach the pupils throughout the instructional hours.
Further, with the onset of the rains, academic activities are always brought to a halt anytime it rains. After the rains, it becomes virtually impossible for academic work to continue since the pupils are unable to sit on the wet floor.
The situation has compelled some parents to withdraw their children from the school, resulting in a reduction in the school’s population while some also do not attend school regularly as a result of the inconveniences.
