Bongo SHS is 25, but has nothing to show

Though Bongo Senior High School rounded up activities marking its 25th anniversary celebrations on Thursday January 28, authorities and students of the school are lamented over poor academic performance and lack of infrastructural development.

Poor performance was also blamed on the location of the school, within the Bongo community.

Established in 1991 as a community day senior high school and upgraded into boarding school status in 2008; the school had not seen any significant infrastructural development that befits it.

This had also affected academic performance of the school in the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), according to Mr. Azetariga Garga Peter-Claver, Headmaster of the school.

In an interview, he cited that in the 2015 WASSCE, the school’s best aggregate was 18, with a wide margin between that aggregate and those who obtained passes in other subjects.

Limited classroom and inadequate boarding accommodation, lack of water on campus and no fence wall were all mentioned as challenges that affected academic performance of the school. Mr. Azetariga said due to these challenges, most students are living out of campus and in the community, thus promoting truancy.

Those who live in the boarding house also spend so much time in search of water, a development which is affecting teaching and learning. Students who shared their frustrations with this paper said the situation was negatively affecting their studies and appealed to the government to address their challenges with urgency.