Teachers and students of Koensim Junior High School (JHS) in the Jasikan Municipality of the Oti Region have appealed to the government for a classroom block to improve teaching and learning conditions in the school.

They also called on corporate organisations and philanthropists to support them in acquiring a more suitable learning facility.

Currently, students study in a bamboo structure which was built in 2021 through the collective efforts of teachers and community members, using locally sourced materials.

This structure replaced a dilapidated facility that had posed serious safety risks to the school children for years.

Speaking to The Ghanaian Times here, the head teacher of the school, Mr Benoni Nyasorgbor, described the current learning envi­ronment as extremely challenging.

“The place is very hot, and it doesn’t improve teaching and learning. When the sun is up, the classroom becomes like an oven. Both students and teachers struggle to concentrate,” he lamented.

Despite these difficulties, he said the school has managed to achieve commendable academic results.

In 2023, their first batch of candidates recorded a 70 per cent pass rate in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), which improved to 90 per cent last year.

He said the entire JHS pop­ulation of 39 students had only three teachers, including the head teacher, responsible for teaching all nine subjects across Forms 1 to 3, stressing that “Each teacher handles three subjects per class, making the workload overwhelm­ing.”

He stated that the school’s poor conditions discourage enrollment, leading to a decline in attendance and overall student numbers.

“We have appealed to the Mu­nicipal Directorate for additional teachers, but the response has not been favourable. Many teachers posted here leave due to the harsh conditions and apply for reposting to urban areas,” the head teacher explained.

Naomi Adjei, a student at the school, described the discomfort caused by the poor infrastructure.

“The heat makes us so uncom­fortable that sometimes we doze off during lessons. Our clothes even develop a bad odour because we keep sweating even when we are doing nothing,” she said.

Reechoing this appeal, the school authorities, led by the head teacher added that “With the right support, we are confident of providing a more conducive learning environment for students and sustain its impressive academic performance,” he added.

FROM STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG, KOENSIM