Lack of classrooms: Teachers and learners still under trees at Adaklu Avedzi

Teachers and parents bemoan the unavailability of classrooms to enhance teaching and learning at Adaklu Avedzi Primary and Junior High School.

During a visit to the school last year, Togbe Darkey III, Chief of Adaklu Avedzi in the Adaklu District of the Volta region bemoaned the lack of government support to the Adaklu Avedzi community.

Surprisingly since November last year, their predicament seems to have worsened since absolutely nothing has been done leaving the innocent pupil to continue to study under the mercies of the teak trees planted around the school.

During the second time visit to the community and the school, pupils from basic three (3), Four (4), Five (5) and Six (6) sit under the trees while the Junior High School Two (2) and Three (3) still manages a thatch roofed structures as classrooms. The JHS One students are using palm branches shade raised under a Neem tree on the school compound close to a Mango tree also used by the teachers as office.

This predicament however has forced some teachers to leave the school for further studies including the headmaster leaving only five teachers in the school handling from Basics One (1) to JHS 3 which is negatively affecting teaching and learning especially at the Junior High School where only Two (2) teachers teach.

Despite the good result from the last year's Basic Education Certificate Examination according to the PTA chairman and Togbe Darkey II the chief of the community, they lament what they described as total neglect.

According to them, they received several calls after the first media reportage but nobody visited them to listen to their plight.

They revealed that teachers and students have no option but to close classes whenever it threatens to rain.

Mr. Manfred Clarke Dzakumah, the Circuit Supervisor of Ablornu Circuit in the Adaklu District in a meeting with the teachers during the visit disclosed that the situation has been there for a long time but not limited to Avedzi. He also mentioned Adaklu Kpeleho, a farming community that shares boundary with Avedzi where classes Two, Three, Four and Five are all under trees and thatch-roofed structures.

According to him, his reports normally capture the said predicaments to his superiors but nothing has been done.

Interacting with some of the students in JHS 3, they are appealing to the government to come to their aid since they all sit and write the same exams as their colleagues in cities.

The school currently have over 300 students.