45 Years Old Brukum Agavenya School Block Becomes Death Trap; Teachers, Pupils At Risk

A head teacher in the Yilo Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region, Mr. Michael Teye has decried over what he described as a complete neglect of the welfare of Brukum Agavanya basic Junior High School, the school he heads.

The school has been in the media for over three years for poor classroom infrastructure and other teacher and pupil welfare needs.

According to the head teacher, the school has currently turned into a “death trap” and if immediate measures are not put in place to overturn the situation, the state may end up losing lives of teachers and pupils through disaster.

Speaking on Rite Morning Ride during the District Education Observer Project (DEOP II), radio advocacy platform, the headmaster said, the Brukum Agavenya School is about forty five (45) years old and it seems the government, the municipal assembly and other stakeholders are not interested in its infrastructural development.

Eye witness report indicates that all the roofing sheets on the school building creates space as spacious as window space, a situation that leave the school no choice than to close the school when rain clouds form in the sky.

The chief and the head teacher said several efforts including situational reports and letters were written to the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly drawing their attention to the problem, but all fell on deaf ears.

Rite FM reporter, Kodwo Boafo had in last year engaged the MCE, Hon Ebenezer Tetteh Kupualor if he was aware of the situation.

“I am in the known and consistently pressing on my people to work on the 2018 budget to enable us cater for some of these challenges. For now there is nothing I can do since it was not captured in the budget,” Hon. Kupualor told Kodwo Boafo.

Despite the school’s poor infrastructure condition, the head teacher underscored pupils academic performance cannot be underestimated.

He stressed that though teachers sit under trees as staff common room for marking pupils’ exercise books and writing lesson note, teacher of the school do not sit back on their legitimate responsibilities.

Brukum Agavenya M/A basic school has been among Rite FM DEOP I&II since 2014. The second edition begun June 2017 and will end May 2018. The STAR-Ghana supported but Ukaid, DANIDA and European Union funded project, DEOP II is seeking to improve the status and performance of all stakeholders including parents, teachers and pupils in children’s education.

Source: Rita Nkansah/ritefmonline.org/rnkansah12@gmail.com