General News of Friday, 7 July 2017
Source: mynews.com.gh
2017-07-07
File photo
There is a looming disaster at Dimanjan Basic School in the Sissala East District of the Upper West region, as a dilapidated structure serving as a classroom for pupils could soon collapse.
Pupils of Dimanjan a farming community which is about nine miles from Tumu, the District Capital of the Sissala East District, have been compelled to study under a dilapidated structure for years due to neglect by authorities.
The situation has resulted in the building serving as a breeding ground for snakes and other reptiles as authorities disclosed that no day passes without them killing a snake in some of the classrooms which is a major source of worry to parents.
The structure that was built with mud more than two decades ago, has visible cracks with some walls nearly falling off yet pupils sit under the structure to receive tuition, a situation teachers have bemoaned but indicate that appeals for support has yielded little effort.
The twin community No.1 and Dimajan No.2 is demarcated by a path but residents use the same social amenities.
According to school authorities, the structure was built in 2000 by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and roofed by Actionaid Ghana, a non-governmental organization but has since not seen any renovation work .
It houses kindergarten 1&2 kids as well as primary school pupils Teachers disclosed that due to the deteriorating state, the pupils are always sent home each time it threatens to rain which is gravely affecting academic work of the school.
“Any time the clouds gather to rain then pupils are always asked to seek for refuge at their homes for fear of the building collapsing. Sometimes if it is windy then teaching and learning comes to a halt for fear of having the roof been ripped off. O n some occasions teaching and learning have to be disrupted whenever reptiles such as snakes are spotted beneath the walls of the structure” Mr. Rasheed Buasi Borsu, a teacher of the school revealed.
