TEMPANE PRIMARY UNDER TRESS AFTER FIRE BURNT CLASSES

FROM Joseph Osei

It’s been a month and some days, since class 3A and 3B pupils of the
Tempane Primary School in the Upper East region were displayed, after
fire burnt their classrooms. The cause of fire is still not known.
The Class three pupils and their teacher are wondering when their
classrooms will be rebuilt for them to move in to continue effective
teaching and learning under a conducive atmosphere.
The Tempane Primary school has a large population at the lower primary
and so a six classroom block that was built in the 1950s has been
assigned for Classes 1, 2 and 3 all having two classes each.
As a result of the disaster in Classes 3A and 3B, management of the
School has combined the two classes with a pupil population of over
150 and are now using the Class 2B pupil’s classroom. Pupils of Class
2B have been moved to join Class 2A causing the number of pupils there
to also increase.
Apart from the inconvenience the situation is bringing on these
pupils, there is also the risk of a disease outbreak, especially CSM
and ringworm. The heat in the classrooms as result of the pupil
population and the work load as a result of the situation, is also
causing the teacher handling this class to have continuous headache.
Events in the school, including the transfer of some teachers, gives
room to suspect that the burnt classrooms may not be repair any time
soon.
A teacher in the Upper Primary of the school, who brought to the
attention of the Daily Guide and pleaded anonymity, said the teachers
handling the combined classes are doing a yeoman’s job. “I am not
supposed to be talking about this problem with you because the
management seems not to be interested in making it public, but am
talking because of the welfare of the children and the inability of
this teacher to effectively assess the performance of the children.
How do you expect these teachers these population of pupils, to be
able to help the weaker pupils in the class.”
Checks revealed that the Tempane Primary school block which was built
in the 1950s has since not received any major renovation, apart from
the roofing sheets that were ripped off by a windstorm in the 1990s
and was replaced.
The Headmaster of the Temapne Primary School, David Dakurugu told the
Daily Guide in a telephone interview that, he has made a formal
complain to the District Assembly and has been assured that a six
classroom block for the School has been captured in the Garu-Tempane
District Assemblies action plan for 2012.
As to how soon this promise will be fulfilled by the Assembly, the
Headmaster could not tell, but prayed that it will soon commence to
save the children from the heat associated with their high numbers.
However the Education Directorate has handed over 130 dual desks to
the school to replace the burnt ones.
Garu-Tempane was the last district across the country, on the BECE
performance ladder for last year and people from the area have been
appealing to the education authorities to ensure that the situation
changes this year, while charging parents and guardians to also ensure
that their children learn at home.
END