Students of the Apegusu Senior High School in the Eastern Region are calling on the government to help improve various infrastructural deficits in the school.
A visit by GhanaWeb to the school revealed that poor toilet facilities, inadequate classroom blocks and dormitories, lack of an assembly hall, and poorly equipped ICT and science labs among others were hampering effective teaching and learning activities.
The absence of pipe-borne water has necessitated the construction of three mechanized boreholes on campus but aside from the poor quality of the contents which the students are compelled to drink, they are denied access to the boreholes during power outages as there are no standby generators to power them.
School prefect, Randel Semevor Aseye in an interview with GhanaWeb complained about the school’s general toilet facility particularly, the one being used by male students which is in a deplorable state and makes its usage inconvenient.
“As you can see, the toilet is really in a bad state right now. It contains a lot of heat and it’s not hygienic, it’s not safe for our health, it causes skin problems to most of the students in the school, it is really bad,” he asserted.
He furthered with an appeal to the government and other stakeholders to come on board and assist the school. He said, “I wish the government will come down here and assist us to get a new toilet because this is really an eyesore.”
The 10-seater obsolete facility has openings made in the concrete floor over which the students squat to ease themselves into an underneath manhole.
The facility was not kept in the best of ways, generating unpleasant odour that particularly affects students in the dormitories which are close to it.
The students complained that any time it rains, the unpleasant odour from the toilet worsens and as a result, they do not feel comfortable using it or even staying at the dormitory.
The houseflies-infested facility also serves as a haven for reptiles due to its nature.
Inadequate classroom and dormitory blocks
As part of efforts to address the insufficient number of classrooms, the school through its own initiative and internally generated funds (IGF) is putting up a 5-unit classroom block.
The students are calling on the government to provide them with a befitting classroom block and other facilities to improve teaching and learning at the school.
The students are compelled to study in the uncompleted classroom blocks with desks arranged on the bare dusty ground, a situation that is inconveniencing both students and teachers.
The situation in the dormitories is no different as there are fewer accommodation facilities to adequately absorb the number of boarders, resulting in overcrowding at the dorms.
To address the accommodation challenges, a four-unit-classroom block has been converted into a dorm to house the male students.
While some students are forced to lay their mattresses on the floor as there are inadequate beds, others spend the night on the corridors of the dormitories.
Ayam Agnes, a second-year student in an interview with GhanaWeb complained about overcrowding in the dormitories accompanied by its resultant poor ventilation.
“We don’t have enough rooms, we’re more than the rooms in the dormitories and also, the ventilation in the dormitory is very poor so this forces some of us to sleep outside,” she said.
She appealed for additional toilet facilities and waste bins to address the unsanitary conditions in the dormitories.
Mankrado of the Akwamu-Adonten traditional area in Apegusu, Nana Dedey Akwei II, an old student of the school, shared his frustrations with GhanaWeb.
“The SHS has a huge challenge with their dormitories. There are no dormitories for the boys, the girls are crowded, tightly fixed to each other…not to talk about the toilet in the school, it is in fact an eyesore, very appalling…there are inadequate classrooms and furniture…the school hasn’t got any science lab and the equipment for science practicals are not available,” he noted.
A French teacher at the school, Kwabena Boafo noted that the infrastructural deficits were affecting the students and hampering sound academic activities in the school and called for urgent interventions.
"There are a lot of problems that the school is confronted with...so we'd be happy if the government and other organisations come to our aid," he said.
Mr. Boafo also expressed regret at the poor state of the road leading to the school and the absence of a sports field which he added were affecting sports development as students are moved to locations outside campus to hold sports activities.
The students are thus appealing to the government to help address the challenges.
