Okonam M/A School: Pupils learn with snakes in untidy classrooms

Teachers and pupils of Okonam Municipal Assembly school in the Suhum Municipality of the Eastern Region are being haunted by snakes in their crumbling classrooms. 

Apart from the threat of getting bitten by snakes and other poisonous reptiles that invade the classrooms during school hours, both the Teachers and pupils are also forced to use the bush as lavatories due to lack of toilet facilities in the school, a situation which also exposes them to harm.

The school, according to report, was established in 1928 and started from the lower Primary, but after several years it can only boast of an uncompleted Junior High level building.

Management of the school who could no longer depend on government to address their plight has resorted to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), corporate bodies and individuals to come to their aid. 

The acting headmaster of the school, Nana Dede–Wadee lamented over the situation reiterating that the school could collapse if government fails to come to their aid. 

Nana Dede–Wadee who could not hide his frustration reiterated that “This wasn’t how the big six planned for Ghana.

The JHS building has collapsed almost 4 years now but there has been no effort to reconstruct it.

The JHS buildings, according to him, were started by the erstwhile Kufuor administration through the Ghana Educational Trust Fund (GETFUND), but have virtually come to a halt after the NPP left office.

Against that background, he called on government and philanthropists to, as a matter of national importance, come to their aid.

However, some of the students speaking to Brytfmonline.com lamented over the deplorable conditions. 

A female pupil, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “There have been several occasions that we students have to battle with snakes for our lives. Snakes bite us because we live in the same building with them due to the state of the building”.

She continued that, “This situation sometimes makes us to lose concentration in class. We always get frightened whenever the sky is filled with thick heavy clouds. We are scared that the building will collapse on us when the rain pours down. This makes us to put pressure on our teachers to close us because we feel save when we are home.”

Articled culled from;

GhanaWeb Regional News of Wednesday, 29 July 2015

ICT must be necessity in Basic Education – Barton Odro

Mr Ebo Barton Odro, First Deputy Speaker, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast North, on Monday stated that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) must be a basic necessity for all pupils at the basic school level.

He said education has gradually moved from the period of limiting teaching and learning to the classroom alone, to a stage of ICT and internet connectivity, and pupils at the basic school level should not be deprived of such an opportunity.

Mr Odro said this at a short ceremony to commission a modern ICT Centre at Pedu and Efutu basic schools in the Cape Coast North Constituency, in a bid to win the hearts and minds of pupils towards developing interest in the study of Science at the basic school level. 

The ICT Centre is expected to benefit school pupils at the Pedu Cluster of Schools, and the Efutu MA Basic School in the constituency.

The 13-seater and 20-seater ICT Centres at Pedu Cluster of Schools and the Efutu M.A Basic School respectively, are also fully connected to the internet.

Mr Odro said with the establishment of the ICT Centres, students would get the opportunity to acquire scientific knowledge, practical process skills and attitudes, through hands on activities and experimentation.

This, he believed, would go a long way to contribute greatly to significant improvement of beneficiary schools and students in the Science and ICT subjects in the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).

Mr Odro advised teachers to upgrade their skills in ICT, to ensure that the pupils benefited effectively from the Centres.

He urged parents and all stakeholders to ensure effective maintenance and sustenance of the facilities.

He advised the pupils to desist from using technology to engage in vices, like cyber crime (‘sakawa’) and watching pornographic materials, but rather use it for their academic advancement.

Ms. Florence Inkoom, Metropolitan Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), expressed gratitude to the MP for his contribution to complement the efforts of GES towards the development and improvement in the quality of education within the constituency.

She indicated that the Science Resource Centre would help the Ghana Education Service to achieve its objective of raising a new generation of students with a strong foundation in Science and Technology, and a strong ability for creative thinking.

Shalom Attom, a pupil at Efutu M/A Basic School, expressed joy as he and other school mates had to previously trek to Asapatu, a nearby community to pay GH 40 to have practical ICT lessons.

Article culled from;

GhanaWeb Regional News of Wednesday, 29 July 2015