The basic schools in Sanguli are failing as a result of teacher deficit and inadequate infrastructure that affects teaching and learning in the community. The inadequacy of social amenities in Sanguli is affecting education, as a result, it is one of the many communities in the northern region of Ghana with a high poverty rate.
The community lacks social amenities
The basic schools have been bedevilled with challenges caused by inadequate infrastructure, insufficient teaching staff and lack of information, communication technology, ICT laboratories, as well as libraries.
The primary school established in the 1960s, has about 500 pupils, with six classrooms, including both the lower and upper primary. Students are forced to sit on the floor with broken pieces of furniture and class one and two have developed pot holes, making it uncomfortable for teaching and learning.
The large number of students in the school are handled by four teachers with only two qualified trained teachers. A few others are community volunteers and youth employment teachers paid by parents in the community. Parents complained that due to inadequate teaching staff, children are sent to work on farms by few teachers to help them as many of the teachers alleged they are not paid by the government and pupils must labor for them as their wages.
They are afraid to report the act by teachers to the appropriate authorities due to a possible closedown of the schools following any attempt to do so. Speaking on behalf of the headteacher of Sanguli Roman Catholic Primary School, the assistant headteacher highlighted some of the challenges to me. The School is facing a lot of challenges as the lower primary has no tables and chairs.
The pupils lie on the floor to write notes and upper primary students sit on broken pieces of furniture, which is a hindrance to the development of writing skills among students. A lack of teachers' tables to prepare lesson notes is another major challenge as well as a lack of portable water. The shortage of water in the school is a worrying situation and compels pupils to trek close to two kilometres in search of water to quench their thirst during class hours which affects teaching and learning in the school.
Teacher accommodation is a challenge
The teacher' bungalow built in the past 10 years to motivate the long-stay of teachers is in a dilapidated situation. The walls developed cracks all over and the paint has been washed away by perennial rain. Visiting Evangelical Presbyterian Junior High School, the situation is not much different from that of Sanguli Primary School. The head teacher of the school, Mr. David Desiib also told me that the school has about 265 students with three permanent teachers, two volunteers and a french teacher paid through parents contributions.
The school has a furniture deficit and compels four students to share a dual desk. The headteacher said the study of information communication technology is very cumbersome, as the pupils only learn theory without practical.
There is only one desktop computer which was bought by parents years back. At the moment, the desktop is not functional and the teachers hire computers in town for practical use.
The study of information communication technology in Sanguli Evangelical Presbyterian Junior High School would not have been difficult if there were a teacher and a functioning computer laboratory in the school. In an interview, the chairperson of the Parent Teacher Association, Mr. Joseph Tatakmi disclosed that several appeals to the District office of the Ghana Education Service for intervention to help ease the problems in the school is to not avail.
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal four implemented in 2015 in about 190 countries across the world, seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all countries by 2030.
It is doubtful, if Ghana can achieve the target of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 of the United Nations by 2030.
The people are appealing to the government non-governmental organizations and other humanitarian bodies to urgently intervene to help boost teaching and learning in their schools.