A six-unit classroom block, constructed to replace the deteriorating structure at Alogboshie Basic School in the Greater Accra Region, has been left unused and is now decaying.
This building, estimated to cost approximately six hundred thousand Ghana cedis, was intended to replace the old classrooms built in the 1960s.
However, a year after its completion, the Alogboshie Basic School in the Okaikoi North Municipality of Accra remains locked and unused, leading to a decline in attendance due to the poor condition of the old buildings.
Behind the lush Achimota Golf Course in Accra lies Alogboshie, a sprawling slum in the Okaikoi North Municipality. In this area, some youth could be seen smoking.
Fauzia Shiabu, who dropped out of Alogboshie Basic School a few years ago, is one of a million Ghanaians aged 4-18 who are not in school, according to the Ghana Statistical Service.
At Alogboshie Basic School, some instructors, speaking anonymously, revealed that some pupils have been trading weed toffee on the school grounds, which are open to community members who use the campus for trading after school hours.
Just five minutes away, Achimota Basic School presents a stark contrast, with its well-maintained, green campus.
In contrast, the Alogboshie Basic School is in disrepair. Roofs are about to be ripped off, and pillars are almost rotten. The structural integrity of the Basic 1-3 classrooms is particularly concerning, and teaching and learning are often interrupted by even the lightest rain showers,
Former MP Issah Fuseini lobbied the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to build a brand new six-unit classroom block for the school. Sadly, this new structure has been locked up and unused for a year since its completion. Some of the youth, who were seen smoking and had dropped out of school, questioned the rationale behind leaving the new building unused, fearing that more young people might end up like them.
Moses Gassor, the Development Committee Chairman in the community, expressed his concerns, “My fear is that this is the rainy season, and the wind blowing is very strong during the rainy season. It may even cause the roof to fall off at some point. If the children are around, it’s a big risk when they are in the classrooms. Because there are no proper windows it rains into the classrooms.
“My fear is that a time will come, and parents will even withdraw their wards from the school. Now we are not getting enough enrolment because when the parents come and see the nature of the building where their wards will study, they are not happy about it. Some people are even withdrawing their wards.”
Another resident also expressed concern, “I don’t see any sense in that, how can we build a new school and still be using the old one? It doesn’t make sense. I don’t know what is wrong with our leaders.”
Senior Programme Manager with EduWatch, Divine Kpe, decries the waste of public resources and calls for swift interventions.
Ghana has more than 5,000 schools operating under trees, sheds, and dilapidated structures. In 2021, the government announced plans to replace all such schools with proper buildings.
However, civil society groups in education report that only 17 schools have been completed, predicting that at the current pace, it will take around 300 years to replace the 5,400 schools in undesirable conditions.
Attempts to reach the GNPC, the MPs involved, and education authorities in the municipality for a response have been unsuccessful.
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