Gbarnga, Bong County – A leaking roof at the Dolokelen Gboveh High School has sprung so many concerns as classes are filled with dozens of buckets, prompting students and their parents to be worried.
“We have not experienced this embarrassment before. This is something that has been going on for months now but this one is serious.”
– Moses Sawmada, Dean of Students Services
“This is very bad for students,” Jerry Korma, a father said of the situation.
The sorry state of the education here came to the fore when a FrontPageAfrica reporter visited the school, which is located in Gbarnga City.
The government-run school is in a dilapidated condition, causing concerns for students and their parents.
Whenever it rains the teacher and their students place buckets where the roofs normally leak so that they should not get drench while in the classroom.
Moses Sawmada, Dean of Students Services of the school, said the roof of the school has been leaking for years but has worsened in recent weeks.
“We have not experienced this embarrassment before. This is something that has been going on for months now but this one is serious,” he said.
Sawmada said they have sent several reminders to concerned authorities regarding the condition of the school building, but nothing has been done so far.
“Whenever it rains, we can go home because our classes can be flooded with water.”
– Deborah, Student, Dolokelen Gboveh High School
“We have just decided to live with this situation because we have sent messages of concern to the relevant authorities but nothing has been done,” he said.
Maxwell Dolo, a teacher at the school, added that the building of the school is in a very bad condition and they have informed the government through the office of the County Education Officer.
Some of the parents have even threatened to pull out their children from school as the rainy season continues, Dolo said.
Sitting in a pool of water, Deborah, a student, said whenever it rains she and her classmates abandon class.
“Whenever it rains, we can go home because our classes can be flooded with water,” she said.
Lack of Chairs Hinders Learning
There is also an alarming shortage of chairs at the school. Our reporter, during his visit to the school which has a population of over 1,500 students, saw students fighting and pulling one another for chairs.
Some students are even forced to stand in class, while others have to squat in order to notes during lectures.
One of the teachers said the pupils find it difficult to do their work in the classroom.
“It’s pathetic to say the least,” said teacher, who did not want to be named in this report.