35 schools under trees as Sene West faces over 300-teacher deficit

In the Sene West District of the Bono East Region, over 35 schools are currently operating under trees due to a severe teacher shortage, with more than 300 teachers lacking. This crisis is significantly impacting education delivery and academic performance, according to the District Director of Education, Mr. Seidu Iddrisu Bawa.

Schools located in riverine communities like Bunji, Chaboba, and others are particularly affected, often forced to close when rain is imminent, resulting in substantial loss of instructional time. The lack of proper classroom infrastructure is evidently detrimental to student achievement, as schools with adequate facilities in towns record superior results compared to those under trees, where the best performance is 11 out of 15.

With only 23 newly trained teachers dispatched to the district this year, the shortfall remains alarmingly high, even affecting schools in the district capital, some of which have as few as six teachers for all primary and junior high school levels. A few rural communities have as few as one or two teachers instructing an entire school.

Mr. Bawa has formally petitioned the Regional Director of Education and called for intervention from the Minister of Education and the Director General of the Ghana Education Service. He also advocates for special postings to prioritize trained teachers from the area who are currently unemployed, as locals are likely to perform better due to their familiarity with the region.

The District Chief Executive for Sene West, Mr. Khaari Fuseini, explained that the government provided a new classroom block for the Banyarko D/A Primary School due to the poor conditions in which students were previously learning. The facility now includes washing and changing rooms to improve attendance, especially for girls during their menstrual periods.

The Bono East Regional Minister, Mr. Francis Owusu Antwi, expressed satisfaction with the new classroom block at Banyarko D/A Primary School, praising the efforts of the Local Government, the district assembly, the contractor, and all stakeholders involved. He cautioned the community to maintain the facility and directed improvements such as the addition of whiteboards and painting of the ceiling.