Farming community constructs student hostel for school

A farming community, Bonya in the Techiman North District of Bono East Region has built a two-bedroom student hostel for its District Assembly (DA) Basic School to accommodate Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates annually.

At an undisclosed cost, the facility would be housing the final year Junior High School students to create ample time and space for them to be prepared adequately to write the BECE to ensure excellent performance by the School.

The initiative was a result of STAR Ghana and Women’s Integrated Development Organization (WIDO) local Government Accountability Self-Help Initiative Community Development Project.

Speaking at the hostel’s inaugural ceremony and a fund raising activity for the construction of a teachers’ bungalow, Mr. Peter Mensah, the District Chief Executive (DCE), lauded the chief, elders and residents of the community for the initiative to promote quality education.

Mr Mensah expressed concern that private school pupils and students seemingly performed well in the BECE than their counterparts in the public schools.

He therefore appealed to teachers in public schools to teach, guide and supervise the pupils and students well to study seriously so that they could obtain equally excellent results like their colleagues in the private schools.

Mr Mensah gave the assurance that the school feeding programme would be extended to the school to supplement the feeding of the pupils to improve on their health and nutritional status.

Mr Abdulai Shaibu, the Head teacher stated that the School for about 45 years now had been serving four communities-Bonya Nkwanta, Kapakro, Hiamankyine and Amangoase in the District.

He explained that for three consecutive academic years, the School had obtained 100 per cent pass in the BECE, but hitherto it would sometime score zero per cent.

Mr Shaibu attributed that academic achievement to a decision by the Management of the School since the 2016/2017 academic year to keep the JHS three students at the School for some time before and during the BECE period.

He said the availability of the hostel now would even motivate them, both teachers and students to put in more effort to be performing to expectation in the BECE because they were using a classroom and a staff common room as makeshift boarding facility (dormitories) for the students.

Mr. Shaibu appealed to the District Assembly for immediate renovation and expansion of the School buildings to provide accommodation for increased enrollment and also a teachers’ bungalow to house and retain teachers posted to the area.

He said the School has a total pupil-student population of 242, consisting of 131 boys and 111 girls, adding that 25 and 22 candidates were presented for the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 academic years BECE respectively.

But, Mr Shaibu added among the School’s pressing challenges were inadequate number of teachers as well as teaching and learning materials and cited that the Kindergarten structure was in such a dilapidated state that it had put the lives of the kids at risk.