The Assembly Man-elect for the Bawena Electoral Area in the North Gonja District of the Savannah Region Yahaya Yawuza has launched an appeal for funds to complete two accomodation projects for teachers in the electoral area.

Speaking to Metro TV, Yahaya Yawuza said the projects when completed would help improve upon education in the area.

The Education Minister Dr Osei Yaw Adutwum after a STEM promotion roadshow on October 2, touted improvement of teacher to student ratio across the country saying it was then 1:14.

However, rural communities in the country face a different spectrum of fewer teachers owing to lack of accomodations for teachers and Anyanto D/ A Primary School and Banyanto D/ A Primary School are no exceptions.

According to the headteacher of Anyanto D/A Primary School, teachers often ditch postings to the school because of the inadequate accomodation in the town.

Issah Karim indicated that only the two of them have agreed to stay and impart knowledge to the future leaders but have to pay the price of constantly buying fuel from the district capital Daboya to commute on a 9 km road to Anyanto each school day.

“We’ve been using motor bikes from Daboya to Anyanto so before we even get to the village, the school contact hours have already gone. Before you move from Daboya to Anyanto by then, you have already spent about getting to one hour so part of the contact hours is wasted and how to recover these teaching hours is very difficult.

“So for the accomodation, when they post teachers, they refuse to come because of there’s no accomodation. And even those who agree to come, they seek reposting,” he said.

Mr. Karim lamented over the situation, noting that the students sometimes absent themselves from school each time it shows signs of raining

“Sometimes even, it effect, we, ourselves, [sic] it affects us because buying fuel everyday, a day you have to buy fuel like GhC15.00 for in and out for the five days. We, ourselves, it is an effect to us to suffer all these things when you’re to buy fuel everyday in and out. Some days, when you get up how to get fuel to come is a problem,” he said.

Although parents are willing to enroll their wards into the school, Issah said the situation has prompted many to send their children to Daboya leaving only forty pupils.

When his colleague, Madam Rashida Ayaaba was posted here from the Upper East Region to teach, she was hopeful of realizing her dreams of imparting knowledge to her pupils.

“When I was posted there I was staying with a man and later the man came and told me that the chief of the town is roaming telling people that anytime they POST a teacher in the village, the teacher will come and stay in his house so it’s the teacher that feeds him. So if they post a teacher again he will not take the teacher again. Indirectly, he was sacking me like. So I had to go to the town there (Daboya) to rent a room”.

But overtaken by events, her aims became mere wishes owing to the scarcity of accomodations for teachers in the farming community.

“Mostly, when it is trying to rain like that the children always think that because it is far, we cannot come or because the road is not good, we won’t be able to make it. Mostly, you will go there and they are not there. They have gone to the farm.”

However, to put an end to the accomodation dilemma, the Assembly Man for the electoral area, Yahaya Yawuza started two self-funded projects at Bawena and Anyanto to habitat the teachers.

He said he has written many letters to the district assembly and the Member of Parliament for support but not much has been done about it.

“It was latter part of last two years that when the community was seriously lacking accomodation especially Anyanto, that was when the assembly came in to help with Two Thousand Ghana Cedis (GhC 2,000.00) but the projects are still not completed.”

“I sent one letter to the DCE and sent one
He disclosed that former MP for the to the MP. Right now the DCE has responded and asked me to submit a formal letter to him and I’m currently drafting the letter as we speak. Previously that was the same way they asked to submit formal letter when it was submitted, I never heard anything from that particular year until the building was completed”.

He disclosed that the former MP Lawyer Shaibu Mahama Obei was the only person who assisted him with roofing sheets, solar panels, and some mattresses in 2020 when he undertook a similar project for Banyanto community.

He stated that he has run short of funds and appealed to the government and other philanthropists to come to his aid to put a smile on the faces of the teachers.

By: Iddrisu Hafiz | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana