Students of Dormaa Akwamu Methodist Basic School are forced to hold classes under trees following the destruction of their six-unit classroom block by fire in December 2024.
The fire has caused significant disruption to the education of children at the school, located in the Dormaa East District of the Bono Region. With no temporary classrooms to accommodate them, both pupils and teachers are left to conduct lessons outside, enduring the harsh heat and limited shade provided by the trees.
School authorities are urgently appealing to government and stakeholders for support to reconstruct the classroom block, a critical step toward restoring a safe and effective learning.
Three months later, the school is yet to receive any form of support. In the meantime, classes are being held under trees—a temporary measure that presents serious challenges.
The relentless heat hampers both teaching and learning, making it extremely difficult for teachers to deliver lessons effectively. Pupils and teachers alike remain vulnerable to the elements.
A makeshift shed now serves as the staff office, where teachers mark pupils’ exercises and prepare lessons. The school urgently needs help to rebuild and provide a safe, conducive environment for education to continue.
Headmaster of the school, Datus Kwadwo Manu in an interview, disclosed that, ” We are going through a lot, teaching takes place under the trees so when the scorches we have to at times close.As the season approaches we will be closing most of the times.”
Mr. Manu appealed for support.
” We urgently need a new classroom to ensure effective teaching and learning.”
A teacher, Dorcas Mensah, shared her thoughts on the issue.
” We are going through a lot because there is always distraction from bicycles,tricycles. The sun also scorches on as.We are appealing to government and NGOs to come to our aid.”
Yvonne Owusua, a pupil, said, “We are facing immense challenges due to the destruction of our classroom. As a result, we are forced to hold our lessons under the trees. However, this makeshift arrangement poses a significant risk, as snakes often fall from the trees into our classroom.Furthermore, our whiteboard reflects harshly, making it difficult for us to write in our books.”
A pupil,Austin Kyereme Nyarko, said, “Due to the lack of a proper classroom, we are at the mercy of the weather. Whenever clouds gather, we are forced to abandon our lessons and head home. Similarly, when the sun beats down relentlessly, we suffer in the heat, sweating profusely.We have had to deal with the alarming presence of snakes, and unfortunately, we have had to kill three of them in our class alone .”
A concerned parent, Esther Frimpong, expressed her worries about the impact of these conditions on her child’s education.
“My child, along with many others, is struggling to cope with the aftermath of the devastating disaster that hit our school. The trauma and disruption caused by the disaster have resulted in my child becoming reluctant to attend school. I humbly appeal to the authorities to construct a new classroom block for the school.”
Efforts to get comments from officials at the Dormaa East District Assembly and the Ghana Education Service were unsuccessful.
