The school with 42 pupils, 10 textbooks and 3 desks in a class

A cursory look at the discouraging educational support received in Bonsaho among other socio-economic deprivations provides a textbook demonstration of cases in similar areas across the country left unattended.

The school is found in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District in the Central Region.

On a visit to the town after a frustrating journey through the hinterlands, JoyNews’ My Community team was confronted with a rural settlement which makes do with a dilapidated, resource-deficient shelter for a basic school where pupils are sometimes compelled to abandon classes over unbearable pressure on its scanty facilities.

Pupils on break at Bonsaho Basic School in the Central Region

Its senior prefect, Derrick Opoku Boateng, said the situation has had dire consequences on their quest to gain access to quality education.

“We don’t have desks, textbooks and chalks which make learning difficult. In my class, we are 42 pupils but have only 3 desks and 10 reading books… I will also be very glad if the government adds us to the school feeding programme,” the JHS 3 pupil said.

Pupils use slabs of wood supported by concrete blocks as substitutes for desks

His fear was that the schools in urban Accra with more facilities will score higher than them in the upcoming Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The sight of the fast-deteriorating mud structure described as the school’s computer laboratory ironically represents the very essence of ICT education.

Computer Laboratory of Bonsaho Basic School in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District

The Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

But the school, according to authorities, has not received a penny from any government since it was established as children struggle to learn on wooden slabs with inadequate stationery. They have to compete with their parents at home over lamps to learn as the town has yet to be connected to the national grid.

Since its establishment in 1989, the institution has been run solely on the communal effort and the benevolence of guardians of pupils who believe in its importance to their wards.

Science and Mathematics teacher at Bonsaho Basic School, Godfred Adjawulo lamented that teachers are reluctant to accept postings to the area due to the lack of social amenities, terrible infrastructure and transportation challenges faced in the community.

As if this is not enough, the non-existence of a health centre is also dealing a big blow to residents, especially women in the town. They have complained about the lack of a health care centre to cater to their health needs, including, antenatal, education on family planning and preventable deaths.

The community also drinks from a reptile-infested stream due to a lack of access to potable drinking water.

Woman fetches water from a stream for domestic and drinking purposes

Meanwhile, opinion leaders are also unhappy with the seeming neglect of the community’s needs.

This situation, coupled with other scarcities is dwindling the fortunes of Bonsaho as JoyNews’ Seyram Abla De-Souza chronicles in the second part of her visit in another episode of My Community.

Watch the full video below: