Aveme Beme R/C Primary School bemoans poorly equipped ICT lab, lack of teachers

Correspondence from Eastern Region

Despite attempts by previous and current governments at improving the quality of education among pupils and students at the Basic and Junior High School (JHS) levels, there are still some deficiencies.

The case of the Aveme Beme R/C Primary School in the North Dayi District of the Volta Region is no different as the school continues to grapple with limited equipment towards the teaching and learning of ICT.

Head teacher of the school, Mr. Anyinam Francisco Doh said the lack of computer laboratories in the school hindered the effective teaching of Information and Communication Technology, (ICT).

The school head made the call when the Mompi family as part of efforts to address challenges confronting the about 123 pupils of the school presented them with school bags and stationery.

"We have four computers there and only two are functioning at the moment" he said but added that the two were also not in the best of shape.

He therefore appealed to government and benevolent organisations to help establish a computer laboratory in the school to enhance the teaching and learning of ICT.

Though the school boasts of a decent infrastructure for teaching and learning, there is a major deficiency; the inadequacy of teachers to teach nine (9) subjects currently being run by the school.

Only a few teachers remain at post to handle all nine (9) subjects. The situation has forced the school authorities to merge pupils of the KG 1 and 2 into a single class.

Appealing for additional teachers to be posted to the school to address any possible deficits, Mr. Anyinam said, "We call on the director-general [of education) to post people to my school so that at least we'll have enough teachers who'll manage the affairs in the classroom"'.

The school currently has six permanent staff and two national service personnel whose service tenure comes to an end before the end of the year, leaving an inadequate number of teachers to handle all the classes.

Mompi family supports Aveme Beme R/C Primary School

As part of efforts to support the school, a US-based Ghanaian, Mr. Joshua Mompi touched by the plight of the pupils, has presented school bags and some stationery to aid their learning.

A member of the Mompi family and Asuogyaman District GNAT chairman, Mr. Harrison Mompi together with Derek Afexi-Mompi and Charles Mawuko presented the items to the school on behalf of the family.

Items presented included 600 exercise books, 123 bags, pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, and cartons of drinks and biscuits.

Mr. Harrison Mompi who led the presentation in an interview after the exercise noted that he was confident that the family's contribution would go a long way to support the children in their quest for quality education.

"We are optimistic that this will go a long way to encourage the students that if someone started from here and today his son is here to support then they can also come from here and tomorrow they can also come and support" he said, hopeful that the gesture would boost their morale to study.

He further assured the school of donating some laptops at a later date to equip the ICT lab and called on philanthropists and other organizations to also come on board and contribute to the running of the school.

Mr. Mompi urged the pupils to take their studies seriously to ensure a bright future so they can give back to society.

Though the Mompi family earlier donated four computers to the school, only two are currently working.

Mr. Bansah Kenneth Mawufemor the SISO for Aveme circuit was grateful to the Aveme communities for their supports for their schools and called for more to be done. In addition he asked the Mompi family to help provide computers and its accessories into the ultra modern resource center built in honor of Dr. Rose Mompi to improve the teaching and learning of technology in Aveme Beme schools.

Mr. Anyinam while appreciating the timeliness of the donation and how crucial the items are said the impoverished guardians of the children found it difficult providing the required educational materials to support their wards through school.

"Learning materials have been a challenge to most of the children here... resourcing them for school is a difficult situation so receiving these items today will help us to push education to a different level", said the head teacher.

The situation he added deprived the school of any academic records of the pupils while also retarding their development.

According to him, though the stationeries donated were enough in the interim, they would be exhausted in the long run and therefore appealed to parents, indigenes of the community, old students and other kind-hearted individuals and groups to contribute their widow's mite to adequately prepare the pupils academically.

He lauded the donors for the initiative and called on similar interest groups to help promote education in the area.

Kpando District GNAT chairman, Mr. Isaac Adeti described the donation as a good gesture, adding that the materials would help shape the future of the children.

He identified the lack of textbooks and exercise books, irregular supply of food under the school feeding programme and capitation grant which remains in arrears for over two years as other difficulties facing most schools in the district.

He commended the Mompi family for their magnanimity and urged other individuals to emulate their gesture.