It was a constant struggle for the pupils of the Adjikpo-Dokuyo M/A Basic School in Somanya in the Eastern Region as they had to endure the discomfort of sitting on wooden planks and blocks for lessons.
The school lacked furniture and other necessities to create a conducive learning environment.
This came to light when GhanaWeb's Eastern Regional Correspondent, Michael Oberteye visited the school in February 2022 to observe the situation.
Authorities of the school and other stakeholders while lamenting over the challenge, said the situation made teaching and learning difficult.
The situation adversely affected the school’s enrolment with parents withdrawing their wards, leaving only ninety-six pupils still in the school when GhanaWeb visited in early 2022.
Fortunately, the situation has turned around, thanks to help from the Ghana Shippers Authority who have presented some furniture to the school, raising the school's enrollment from 96 during the peak of the problem to about 220.
At a short ceremony at the school’s premises on Friday, the Authority, led by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ms. Benonita Bismarck donated 150 dual desks and ten teachers’ chairs and tables for the pupils and teachers.
Also, two individuals donated the new GES-approved textbooks to the teachers and two sets of football jerseys.
The CEO of the Ghana Shippers Authority, Ms. Benonita Bismarck, speaking during the donation, said the Authority decided to come to the school's aid after reading about the pupils' predicament on GhanaWeb.
Narrating how the afternoon of the plight of the school came to her attention and that of the Authority, she said, "This is based on a story I happened to have chanced upon…on the tenth of February on Ghanaweb, and I followed the video right to the end and I saw the children, some sitting on blocks, others on logs," she said.
"This school is not far from Accra but the deprivation that they don't have even the basics to come to school and as a result parents are withdrawing their children, today, they are more than the ninety-six who were here.
She was hopeful that the donation would help the school run effectively.
Apart from the donation, the CEO announced her personal commitment to support one student, preferably a female to pursue a science-related course from senior high school to the university.
Explaining the decision for her actions, Ms. Benonita Bismarck noted that this was to encourage more girls to pursue science where very few girls find themselves.
"What I'll like to add is that we'd want to and personally help one student from here who will take the sciences all the way to the University," she said, adding however that the pupil should consistently excel in her examinations.
The headmistress of the school, while appreciating the gesture, said more, including the need for the extension of the school feeding programme, was required for the school and called on authorities and members of the general public including benevolent individuals and organizations to come on board and support the school.
Seyelor Kwaku Adamptey (Regent) of Adjikpo-Okper Nakuyo who recalled the earlier situation said, "it was so absurd that, in fact, it is an eyesore. Pupils sitting on pieces of blocks, others sitting on worn-out lorry tyres, others on broken chairs, some had no place at all to sit," he recounted adding that it took only days after the publication for some benevolent individuals and groups to respond to the situation.
He commended GhanaWeb and its Eastern Regional Correspondent for the work done by drawing the public's attention to the school's plight and urged them to do more.
The traditional leader also urged the management of the school and the pupils to ensure proper maintenance of the items to ensure that they last longer.
Seyelor Kwaku Adamptey appealed to the Assembly and other donors to address the other needs of the school such as the lack of electricity and a computer lab to enhance effective teaching and learning.
Describing the gesture as "good news to the municipality," MCE for Yilo Krobo, Hon Eric Tetteh thanked GhanaWeb and the donors for their efforts to bring out the challenges and assistance.
"[It] is good news to the municipality and for me, I need to thank the donors, the Ghana Shippers Authority, and also my extension to GhanaWeb who made this story open for people to come and support us," said the Assembly chief. "The task ahead of us is enormous and [the] Assembly alone cannot carry it and so it is our agenda to appeal to people to come and support us."
He made further appeals to the indigenes of Yilo Krobo and other stakeholders to come on board and support the area.
A class six pupil and school prefect of the Adjikpo Dokuyo M/A primary School, Alexander Kwaku Wilson explaining how he and his colleagues felt about the desks said, "I feel very happy, we could not concentrate on what we were learning but rather concentrate on the desks we were sitting on. [Now that we have new desks], it'll help us concentrate on what they're teaching us. I want to tell those who brought the desks that God bless them."
