The pupils of Nakong Primary School in the Kasena Nankana West District of the Upper East Region are forced to sit or lie on the bare floor for studies due to lack of adequate furniture in the school.
The problem of school children sitting on the bare floor in classrooms, especially in the northern part of the country, is far from over.
When Edmond Kwaching Agwaazeh visited the school on Monday, March 18, 2024, the pupils were seen lying flat on the dirty bare floor to write because they are without furniture.
And those who could not sit or lie on the floor have to lean against the walls to aid them in learning.
The teachers were also seen finding it difficult to move freely in the classrooms to supervise the work of the children because of the lack of space in the classrooms due to the nature of the sitting arrangements.
Nakong is a farming community in the Kasena Nankana West District with a population of about six thousand.
In this community, poverty is more than visible. The worried residents, who are predominantly farmers, are expressing fears that their wards will not get the right tuition if the government fails to come to their aid.
Some of the pupils told Kwaching Agwaazeh that they were always demotivated going to school since it was difficult sitting on the floor every day to learn.
“Due to the lack of furniture in the classroom, we sometimes feel reluctant to go to school,” they said.
They added that they sometimes experienced severe stomach and back pains while lying on the floor in the classroom.
The condition of the classrooms is indeed an impediment to academic work as the school children have to lie with their faces to the ground to write exercises and do other academic work given to them by their teachers.
Many of the school pupils struggle to follow lessons being taught since they find it very difficult and uncomfortable to lie on their stomach every day to take part in academic work and do exercises as well.
The pupils, in their daily struggle to acquire basic education, contend with dust and its accompanying health conditions as they lie on the dusty floor in their respective classrooms.
Another worrying development is the fact that the uniforms of the school pupils are always dirty, since they lie and sit on the floor to study. This situation compels them to wash their uniforms every day to be able to attend school.
Some parents who cannot bear the situation where the uniforms of their children have to be washed every day have no option but to prevent their children from going to school. This results in negative effects on their studies.
A common feature among the children is the fact that some of them doze off and eventually sleep while lessons are ongoing, since they lie on the floor.
The community is therefore appealing to the MP for Chiana Paga constituency, Hon. Thomas Adda Dalu, the government, and philanthropists to come to the aid of the school.
Source: oyerepafmonline.com/Edmond Kwaching Agwaazeh, Upper East Regional Correspondent
