Authorities of the Ogome Anglican School are grappling with incidents of incessant defecation in their classrooms and the use of the facility for various nefarious activities including sexual activities.
Residents of Ogome in the Yilo Krobo district of the Eastern Region have turned the Ogome Anglican JHS located in the area, into a toilet facility where they engage in open defecation, headmistress of the school has complained.
The situation, if not checked, could soon result in the teachers threatening to boycott teaching.
Madam Eugenia Dey, headmistress of the school, who expressed worry over the situation when she appeared as guest on Rite FM’s educational program, District Education Observer Program, DEOP on the Rite Morning Ride on Thursday explained that the unfortunate practice has been ongoing for long.
She intimated that the indiscriminate defecation in the school has occurred severally, blaming the incident on the state of the classroom block which is uncompleted and has no doors and windows, giving intruders free access, adding that the situation was affecting teaching and learning.
Madam Eugenia Dey said the practice has repeated severally as unknown individuals break in to use the school’s classrooms as their bedrooms at night.
School authorities and pupils always discover that intruders sleep on the school’s verandas and classrooms.
The intruders encroach into the classrooms, sleep there and when they are leaving, defecate in the classroom, on chairs and other places which gives the children a lot of work the next day.
The situation is not limited to the functioning classrooms as a six unit classroom block being put up in the school is facing similar abuse.
The situation is disrupting effective teaching and learning in the school as pupils would have to come to school and clean the mess of others.
Sexual activities
The headmistress added that residents of neighbouring communities aside defecating in the classrooms have also turned the facility into a brothel where people engaged in rampant sexual activities.
She intimated that teachers and students continually found used condoms in the classrooms.
“Most of the classrooms do not have windows and doors and so people get into the classrooms and sleep with their girlfriends where you see condoms around in the mornings,” madam Dey disclosed.
The school which has for decades provided basic education to children of residents was also previously turned into a refuse dump, compelling the authorities and students to clear filth lodged in and outside their classrooms.
The headmistress disclosed that the situation affected the conducive environment required for teaching and learning.
With the assistance of the school management committee and the Parent teacher Association together with other concerned bodies, the practice has however been curbed.
By: Austin Ofori Addo/ritefmonline.org/austinofori.addo@gmail.com
