Amenga-Etego Primary School near collapse; Community raises funds to reconstruct new block
The Amenga-Etego Primary School at Bembisi in the Kassena Nankana West District in the Upper East Region is currently in ruins, posing danger to the lives of more than 200 school pupils.
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The school was constructed by members of the community in 1991 through the instrumentality of the late Assembly member of the area, Timothy Aziati, as part of their contributions towards providing basic education to school-age children.
However, the school could not stand the test of time, compelling the government to construct two open pavilions in 1992 to serve as classrooms to replace the old one.
Afterwards, due to its open nature and its attendant negative consequences on academic work, the residents raised walls around the pavilions so that the pupils would not be distracted during lessons.
Classes One to Three are occupying one of the classrooms while the other classroom block is being occupied by classes Four to Six. Kindergarten One and Two pupils do not have a classroom and they currently study under trees.
Looming disaster
The current state of the primary school is a looming disaster and a death trap as it could collapse on the pupils, resulting in casualties. The classrooms have developed serious cracks in the walls, coupled with damaged roofing sheets and dusty floors which do not provide a congenial learning environment for the pupils.
Anytime it rains, school authorities are compelled to suspend classes since the kindergarten pupils are made to join the others in the dilapidated classrooms until the rain subsides.
Also, the school lacks the needed desks in the classrooms, forcing some of the pupils to either sit on the floor or lie on their stomachs on the dusty floor to participate in lessons.
As a major step towards addressing the problem, members of the community at their recently held 2024 homecoming event raised some money in addition to some building materials to commence the construction of a new three-unit classroom with ancillary facilities.
Although the estimated cost of a three-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities intended to be constructed is GH¢100,000, they have been able to raise a total of GH¢39,021 and some building materials to kick-start the project.
Frustration
Sharing his frustration in an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Assembly member for the Bembisi Electoral Area, Charles Anyungba, said it was an eyesore for pupils to study in such an environment.
He noted that despite several letters written to the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the district assembly for action to be taken, they had not received the needed attention.
He said, “We have made several appeals over the years to the government for support to change the current state of the school but no positive response has been received.”
While commending the people for their contributions towards executing the new school building project, he urged them to sustain such acts to tackle the myriad of challenges facing the community.
Further, he appealed for the construction of more boreholes in the community to put an end to the situation where women and children queue for long hours to fetch water for their daily activities.
Additionally, he called on the government to extend electricity to other parts of the community to address the problem of people walking long distances to nearby communities to get access to such services.
Impediment
The Chief of Kandiga, Naba Emenga-Etego II, who graced the occasion, said he was worried about the poor state of the school, as it impeded the provision of quality basic education.
That notwithstanding, he expressed joy at the communal spirit of the people which had led to their resolve to mobilise financial and material resources locally to construct a new school building.
He said, “I wish to urge you to keep this ‘can do spirit’ among you as it is the surest way to make meaningful contributions towards the growth and development of the community.”
When contacted, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area, Gerard Ataogye, said he had not sighted any letter to the assembly about the plight of the school as espoused by the residents in the community.
However, he admitted that although the school was in a deplorable state, the assembly was tackling the situation holistically as and when funds were readily available, saying “There are several schools which are also in a similar state which equally need attention to bring relief to both the teachers and the pupils.”
He lauded members of the community for taking the initiative to contribute funds locally to construct a new classroom block for the school and added that such a move was essential as it complemented the government's efforts in the provision of educational infrastructure.
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