Mpasaaso Adiembra, a farming community in the Ahafo Ano South-West district of the Ashanti region, is grappling with a dire educational crisis as pupils of the Adiembra D/A Basic School continue to study under harsh and unsafe conditions.
Despite the popular saying that “education is the key to success,” pupils in this deprived community are struggling to access quality education due to the dilapidated state of their school infrastructure.
The school lacks proper classrooms, with pupils forced to study under a broken, unfenced structure while teachers conduct lessons under trees.
The situation becomes even more critical during the rainy season. Speaking to some of the affected pupils, they revealed they have to close school whenever it is about to rain, irrespective of the time, citing the dangers that come with staying in school while it rains.
“We are forced to close school and go home when it starts to rain because the floors are not cemented and get flooded. Rainwater also enters through the roof and spoils our books. Sometimes snakes crawl into our bags,” one pupil noted.
Another added that the rainy season disrupts their academic calendar, aside from making studies difficult for them. “Because of the poor conditions, learning is very difficult for us. During this rainy season, we hardly have classes,” he lamented.
The students also expressed concern about the lack of essential teaching and learning materials. “We don’t even have textbooks or computers to study. This is affecting us. We plead with the government to come to our aid,” another female pupil said.
The chief of Mpasaaso Adiembra, Nana Kofi Boakye, confirmed the situation and said it was a major concern for the community. “This is one of the biggest challenges we face.”
He added that the lack of a fence on the school exposes the pupils to dangerous animals. “Students and teachers often run to my house for help because snakes and other harmful creatures enter the classrooms,” he noted.
He called on the government and other stakeholders to come to the aid of the school, stressing that the community has long been neglected in terms of educational infrastructure.
Meanwhile, a new structure under construction for the school is not seeing any progress.
By Kwame Yeboah|Akoma FM|Kumasi
