Education is a right, not a privilege, as enshrined in Article 25 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
Yet for the children of Nakpala, a farming community in the Sawla -Tuna- Kalba District in the Savannah Region, such right is slowly being eroded and buried beneath collapsed roofs.
In fact, it is being silenced by the torrential rains that frequently disrupt their lessons.
Despite an official closing time of 2:00 p.m., classes at the Nakpala R/CJunior High School often end much earlier.
Whenever dark clouds gather teachers are forced to suspend or cancel lessons entirely.
This is not a one-term occurrence, but a daily struggle born out of neglect and a deteriorating school structure that has been left unrepaired .
The situation has resulted in drop outs in recent months.
Portions of the school’s roofing have been ripped off by heavy storms, leaving classrooms partially exposed to the elements.
With no proper shelter, both teachers and students endure the harsh weather — sometimes learning under the harsh weather dashing home when it begins to rain.
However, the poor learning environment has led to a sharp rise in school dropouts, as children abandon classrooms to work on farms — not by choice, but of necessity.
Checks by the Yagbon News indicate that a number of schools in the District are facing similar infrastructure and furniture challenges.
What is more troubling is the fact that most of the existing schools are in very deplorable state.
Several pupils have lamented about the situation, saying what they have to endure in order to be educated was far from ideal
“Sometimes we close early when when it’s about to rain. We want to learn, but our classrooms are not safe,” one of the pupils lamented.
The pupils, therefore, appealed for support to put the school into good shape to improve academic activities.
A concerned resident Yourmil Noah , described the situation as alarming, stating that the structure posed a serious risk to the lives of the pupils and teachers.
“The school has become a death trap, we are therefore appealing to the appropriate authorities to come to our aid to put the dilapidated school block in a good shape “,Noah told Yagbon News.
Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) seeks to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
However, for many children in Nakpala and many parts of the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District, this goal remains distant, as inadequate infrastructure continues to undermine teaching and learning outcomes.
Without urgent interventions from the government, development partners, and philanthropists, the promise of equal education opportunities would remain out of reach for children in deprived communities like Nakpala.
There is therefore a need for authorities to step up efforts to provide a befitting learning environment for the children to help enhance educational outcomes in the area.
Source yagbonradioonline
