At Dwarf Island, a community in the Afram Plains North of the Eastern Region, school children cannot go to school because their classrooms are being occupied by residents of the community as their home.
This has affected the quality of education as the lack of access to classroom is the recent amongst series of challenges being faced by the pupils in the community.
Government’s representative in the area, Nana Kofi Korie, speaking with Onua News’ Yaa Yeboah Boamah, indicated that the occupants of the classrooms are victims of the infamous Akosombo Dam Spillage who were allowed to use the place at the time.
He, however, indicates it was time they are made to evacuate the rooms for the school children to utilise them. He says a list of victims that was collated by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in anticipation of support has not brought any results since the incident occurred, the reason they are still occupying the classrooms.
Mr. Korie is pleading with the chiefs of the community to get rid of the occupants to make the classrooms available for the pupils.
“The homes of those staying in there were flooded when the Volta Lake burst its banks. NADMO collected some data and sent it to national so we are expecting some support to help relieve them.
“These are the people the State the state granted the permission to stay in the classrooms for a while and it is time they leave the classrooms so that the school children can go back to school,” the District Chief Executive noted, adding that the government should look at tackling the teacher deficit in the community for them.
He stated that they are doing their best in putting up more structures for education in the district, they seem not to be making progress because Kwahu Afram Plains North alone takes one third of the entire Eastern Region geographically.
Lamenting the myriad of challenges confronting education in the community, assembly member for the area, Gideon Yekini, listed language barrier, lack of access to favourable means of transport, lack of electricity and telecommunication network as part of the challenges leading to teacher deficit in those communities.
“One of our major problems is our language. A lot of people do not speak the Ewe. Most of the teachers they bring speak Twi but the children too do not understand the Twi. This has worsened the situation the children. So if we get teachers who can speak both the Twi and Ewe, it will help.”
“You need to cross a river from Donkorkrom, our district capital, before getting here so the problem is how the teachers would get here. Because most of them are not familiar with the wind associated with crossing the river, it becomes a problem. And if they come too, they face network problems. There is also no electricity so they can’t have entertainment”
[VIDEO]: Lady who claims she was abducted by dwarfs at Kwahu Asakraka shares her story
