Ducation is a right, not a privilege, as enshrined in Article 25 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
Yet for the children of Jantong Dashie, a farming community in the North East Gonja District in the Savannah Region, such right is slowly being eroded and buried beneath collapsed roofs.
In fact, it is being silenced by the scorching sun and torrential rains that frequently disrupt their lessons.
Despite an official closing time of 2:00 p.m., classes at the Jantong Dashie D/A Junior High School often end much earlier.
Whenever dark clouds gather or the afternoon heat becomes unbearable, teachers are forced to suspend or cancel lessons entirely.
This is not a one-term occurrence, but a daily struggle born out of years of neglect and a deteriorating school structure that has been left unrepaired for more than two years.
The situation has resulted in the drop out of about 12 pupils in recent months.
Dilapidated facility
Portions of the school’s roofing have been ripped off by heavy storms, leaving classrooms partially exposed to the elements.
Pupils on break time during school hours in deplorable classrooms
With no proper shelter, both teachers and students endure the harsh weather — sometimes learning under the blazing sun or dashing home when it begins to rain.
The school also lacks essential facilities such as desks, learning materials, staff accommodation, an administrative office, clean water, washrooms, and ICT infrastructure.
Established in 2007 by Anouk and Friends, the school serves six surrounding communities and currently enrols over 150 pupils.
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.
District-wide challenge
Checks by the Daily Graphic indicate that a number of schools in the district are facing similar infrastructure and furniture challenges.
Pupils in one of the classrooms
Data compiled by the North East Gonja District Education Directorate in February 2023 indicates that while there are 224 classroom blocks in the district, an additional 66 blocks are needed to bridge the infrastructure gap.
What is more troubling is the fact that most of the existing schools are in very deplorable state.
Several pupils — including Fuseini Andrews, Joshua Fustina, Abdul Kahad Muhib, and Yussif Ismatu lamented about the situation, saying what they have to endure in order to be educated was far from ideal.
"Sometimes we close early when the sun is too hot or when it’s about to rain. We want to learn, but our classrooms are not safe,” one of the pupils lamented.
The Assistant Headmaster of the school, Tahiru Abdul Latif, said the situation was having a serious toll on academic performance.
“When it rains, the classrooms flood, and learning materials get soaked. Under the hot sun, pupils cover their heads with books.
Some suffer headaches, and since we don’t even have a first aid box, we let them go home,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Mr Latif said the students who wrote this year’s BECE all secured placements into senior high schools, proof of their determination and resilience.
He also lamented that ICT lessons remained purely theoretical, as the school lacked computers and a laboratory.
He added that “the girls participated in the regional female ICT project, but without computers, so they cannot practice what they learn."
He, therefore, appealed for support to put the school into good shape to improve academic activities.
Concerns
The Assemblyman for the Jantong Electoral Area, Abdullai Fuseini, described the situation as alarming, stating that the structure posed a serious risk to the lives of the pupils and teachers.
Teachers sit under a tree due to lack of office space
“The school has become a death trap. I have reported it to both the former and current district chief executives, but nothing has been done. The authorities must act fast before the next rainy season,” he urged.
Meanwhile, the District Chief Executive for North East Gonja District, Abdul Mumin Ewuntomah, has expressed his commitment to address the situation.
“I visited the school myself, and it was in a deplorable condition.
The pupils deserve better.
The school will be captured in the district’s 2026 budget for reconstruction,” he an assurance.
SDG 4
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 Jantong and many parts of the Savannah Region, 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 Jantong Dashie.
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.
