Residents of Jinkpang express worry over ‘school under trees’

By Philip Tengzu

Jinkpang (UW/R), April 26, GNA – Residents of Jinkpang, a community in the Sing Electoral Area of the Wa Municipality, have expressed fear over their children losing their education due to the lack of classroom infrastructure at the basic school level.

Some school children in the community hold classes under trees, a situation the residents say would adversely affect their education and jeopardise their future.

The impending rains would hamper effective teaching and learning, they said, and appealed to the Government and Philanthropists to go to their aid.

The residents raised these concerns when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the community to ascertain some challenges affecting education there.

Mr Issahaku Abdulai, the School Management Committee (SMC) Chairman, said the school, with a pupil population of about 400, relied on only four classrooms built by the community.

“This has compelled some of the pupils, from the Kindergarten (KG) to Primary five, to sit under trees for their lessons.

When the GNA visited the school, it observed that the pupils were often ddistracted by passers-by and motorbikes as well as other activities around the school premises.

Mr Abdulai explained that the school started about seven years ago as a community initiative with the consent of the Wa Municipal Education Directorate but had since not received any support from the government.

The community, through a communal initiative, built a three-classroom block for the school but needs support from kind-spirited individuals and organisations to roof it.

“We have seen that the teachers and the children are going through so many difficulties under the scorchy sun and windy environment coupled with the rain, which has just started,” Mr Abdulai said.

“We made appeals to the Municipal Assembly through our Assembly Member to help us roof the three classrooms that we have built.”

“Apart from that, we also went to see the Municipal Chief Executive ourselves, but we still haven’t gotten any support from anyone”.

Mr Osman Adams, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Chairman, said the problems of the school were too much for the Association, the teachers and pupils to bear.

“We are appealing to any soft-hearted person or organisation to come and help us. If we don’t get any help, the education or our children will be affected when the rain starts because they have to close whenever it starts raining.”

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mandated the Government to ensure access to basic education by all children, irrespective of their social status or geographical location, by 2030.

However, access to education in rural communities, especially in the Upper West Region, is impeded by many factors such as distance and poor infrastructure, which have forced many children out of school.

GNA