New Ayoma school offered hope - Philanthropist to the rescue

The New Ayoma D/A Fernanda Lange Junior High School 'B', previously under the management of the Ghana Education Service and the Jasikan District Assembly, is witnessing a new wave of revival after its near extinction.

The school, with its dilapidated single three-unit classroom block, is today flourishing after an intervention by a German philanthropist, Bernhard Lange, the CEO of Paul Lange & Co.

The school was established in 1964 as a middle school, and transitioned into a Junior High School in 1987 with 82 students.

47 years since its establishment, however, the school's dilapidated building had not seen any renovation works until 2013. The structure before the intervention was without doors and windows. There were leaks in the roofing on the building when it rained, which mostly led to a halt in teaching and learning activities.

The school had to also contend with unavailable furniture, including desks, teachers’ tables and chairs, among others. The Headmaster of the school, Mr Theophilus Dzandu, told the Daily Graphic that the structure was eventually taken over by encroachers and animals who took to misusing the building because of its open nature.

Effects

These challenges in the long run rendered the school unattractive and led to dwindling enrolments coupled with poor academic performances and increased truancy among students.

The Chief of the area, Nana Kwame Akoto IV, in 2010 raised concerns about the state of the school and its impending effect on the future of children in the area and their ability to continue their education.

His concerns were followed by an appeal to the Catholic Bishop of Jasikan Diocese, Most Reverend Gabriel Akwasi Mante, who then spearheaded the entry of the Lange family into the community and their subsequent relationship with the school and their projects.

Current state

Today, the school can boast two three-unit classroom blocks, a fully furnished computer laboratory, a store room, a staff common room, a headmasters' office and a library.

The sixteen-year-old prefect of the school, Master Sedua Bright, said while a pupil at the primary level, he "initially wanted to attend JHS in Hohoe because of the school's sorry state. After the renovation, however, I changed my mind".

The children are also engaged in value chain sessions which is a modern way of inculcating values into the children and a new approach of teaching and learning using ICT tools and audiovisuals to facilitate easy understanding

School feeding

The Lange Company, now headed by Paul's children, Barbara and Bernhard, initiated and sponsored a school feeding programme which enables students to be fed a hot nutritious meal daily at the school.

The initiative which is the first to be introduced by the German philanthropists at the JHS level ensured that students like 15-year-old Dzodzi Verity are retained in school. She indicated that the move had provided the much needed reprieve to their parents who were struggling to make ends meet.

Miss Dzodzi while expressing gratitude to the Lange family said "some people come to school without eating because their parents do not have money to feed them, but they are now happy".

Impact

Since these new changes, there has been a boost in enrolment with student population today standing at 220, including 100 females, with 10 teachers. The academic performance at the school has also improved.

The headmaster stated that out of 68 students presented for the Basic Education Certificate Examination, a third of them passed and had successfully been enrolled in various second cycle institutions.