GhanaWeb has uncovered massive overcrowding at the Tamale Police Barracks School Complex in the Tamale Metropolis which is affecting teaching and learning in the school.
In one class, a total of 145 pupils were crowded in the classroom, with some sitting on the floor to learn.
This is more than four times the Ghana Education Service standard classroom size of 35.
A teacher in one of the classrooms who spoke on condition of anonymity said the overcrowding makes it difficult for pupils to learn.
“It is not easy, sometimes you teach and while you try to move round to interact with the pupils, you step on their toes,” the teacher said.
Another teacher who did not also want to be mentioned said the congestion in the classroom makes it difficult for them to mark exercises given them in class.
“So, we are reluctant to give them class exercises and assignments because you cannot mark it,” the concerned teacher said.
The teacher said the GES had promised to divide the school into two shifts to reduce the congestion, however, that has not happened.
Some parents who are aggrieved by the overcrowding at the school accused the two head teachers of the school in charge of the Primary and Junior High School of charging pupils monies that were among other things supposed to be used to provide furniture for them.
“We have come to realize that, the two head teachers in connivance with the current PTA to charge primary pupils Gh¢270 and JSS [JHS], Gh¢560 which cannot be accounted for [now],” Spokesperson of the Aggrieved Parents, Dason Abdul Rahman told journalists in Tamale on Tuesday.
The Headteacher of the Police Barracks Primary School, Ibrahim Sulley has been at the center of an audit report.
He was indicted for allegedly embezzling school funds to the tune of GH₵298,560.
The infractions, according to the report, included an unaccounted amount of GH₵2,500 from the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP), an unapproved collection of PTA dues totaling GH₵81,490, an amount of GH₵15,905 which was labeled, entrance fees but not accounted for, un-receipted PTA dues collected for 2021 and 2022 also amounting to GH₵81,490.
The rest are payments not properly acquitted amounting to GH₵58, 865, items bought not routed through store records totaled GH₵30, 630, and un-embossed assorted PTA properties amounting to GH₵27, 680.
This compelled the Tamale Metropolitan Director of Education, Amatus D. Tug-uu to transfer him out of the school, however, the aggrieved parents say the Head Teacher has refused to vacate the post, even though a new headteacher has also been posted to the school.
“We have gathered information that his refusal to hand over the school to the new headteacher is as a result of both Alhaji Mohammed Haroon Cambodia, former Regional Director of Education (who is on retirement now) and the Regional Director of Education’s request to the Metro Director to reverse the transfer which he [the Director] refused,” the spokesperson of the Aggrieved Parents claimed.
The Metro Director of Education has now been transferred too, the Parents claim it was because he refused to reinstate the Head Teacher of the School.
The Parents called on stakeholders of education in the region to intervene and ensure that the transferred head teacher, hands over to the new head teacher to ensure the smooth continuation of academic work in the school.
Management of the school was not available for comment.
The overcrowding makes it difficult for the students to learn