The Asantekrom D/A Basic and Junior High School, located in the Akontombra District of the Western North Region, is currently facing serious challenges that are denying pupils access to quality education.
The school suffers from a severe lack of teachers, inadequate infrastructure, and poor learning conditions. Originally built with wooden structures, the school is now in a deplorable state with no fence, making it easy for dangerous animals like snakes to enter the premises. The bare, dusty floor in the classrooms adds to the discomfort and health risks for both students and teachers.
Due to the shortage of staff, all classes—from nursery to JHS 3—have been combined. This makes effective teaching and learning almost impossible.
According to the headmistress, Madam Mary Owusua, the school currently has only four teachers managing all levels of education. “Because of the infrastructure deficit and lack of teaching staff, we are forced to combine multiple classes into one, which is seriously affecting academic performance and discipline,” she explained.
She has appealed to the Ministry of Education and the Member of Parliament for the Akontombra constituency to help by recruiting more teachers and constructing better infrastructure for the school. “We need proper classroom blocks and enough trained teachers to create a conducive environment for teaching and learning,” she added.
In response, the Member of Parliament for Akontombra, Pious Kwame Nkuah, recalled that during his time as District Chief Executive (DCE) in 2016, he helped the community construct the current wooden structures. He said the original plan was to replace them with a six-unit classroom block, but this plan was halted when the previous administration left office. Since then, he claims, the current NPP government has done little to continue the project.
Now serving as the MP, kwame Nkuah said he has contacted GETFund and the central government to support the construction of a permanent six-unit classroom block. However, he admitted that the district assembly’s common fund is insufficient to undertake such a project. He therefore appealed to NGOs and private individuals to support the school.
Touching on the teacher shortage, the MP revealed that the Akontombra District has a deficit of about 400 teachers, a situation he described as “very worrying.” He said he has personally engaged the Minister of Education, who assured him that teachers would be posted to the district during the next national recruitment exercise.
“I am still appealing to the Minister of Education to honor his promise when the next recruitment begins so that we can bridge the teacher gap in our district,” he concluded.
