The Headmistress of the Gomoa Aboso-Benso African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Basic School in the Gomoa Central District of the Central Region, Mrs. Charlotte Hini Odame has appealed to the Government through the District’s Directorate of Education and the District Assembly to provide the school with a modern storey building classroom block to help accommodate the increasing number of students because of lack of space of land.
According to her, the school which started as a Kindergarten by a minister of the church Rev. Esibu some years ago now has a current population of seven hundred and sixty eight (768) students with thirty one (31) teaching staff, but has only twelve classrooms and also lacks basic facilities such as staff common room where teachers could sit and prepare lesson notes or mark class works.
Speaking at the 40th Anniversary celebration of the school on the theme ‘’Developing the Child Using Education and Modern Technology’’, Mrs. Hini Odame again hinted that the six sitter toilet facility of the school has also been taken over by members of the community, making it difficult or both the student and teachers to use it.
The school is note for its high standard of academic performance, as it has produced eminent personalities like Mr. Evans Nkrumah-a chatered accountants with KPMG, Mr. Samuel Ewusi-also a chatered accountants, Mr. Paul Hammond-a lecturer at the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Sunyani, Capt. Abban of the Ghana Armed Forces and Mr. Bright Baffoe who was recently adjuged the Overall Best Graduating Students in Mathematics|Economics at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics of the University of Cape Coast.
Headmistress Appeals For Support, Intervention
The Headmistress attributed this success story to effective teaching and learning, but stressed that lack of basic facilities remains one of the major challenges confronting the school.
Specific among these challenges, according to the Headmistress is the roofing of the Kindergarten and Primary which leaks heavily at the least downpour, forcing teachers and students to run for shelter in the same classroom or when the sun is at its peak.
She again mentioned lack of library in the school, which she said is not helping in effective learning by the students, especially at this era of technological advancement in learning.
By. Robert Ayanful