Public Agenda (Accra)
Judith S. Sawyer
19 May 2008
analysis
Located in the heart of Nima, not far from the Nima Police Station, are the Nima Cluster of Basic Schools.
The Nima 1, Nima 2 basic schools and St. Kizito R.C. Junior High School (temporarily housed in one of the buildings) currently serve 1460 public from the catchment area. This cluster is the only pubic school in this locale, though there are a number of private schools for those willing to pay. A visit at break time brings into view a small, sloping, sandy compound teeming with children of all ages, the girls nimbly playing ampe and hopscotch, as the football-mad boys kick a ball around.
The first building was put up in 1960, while a second block, consisting of a story building, was erected later. Not much maintenance or refurbishment has taken place over the years, despite the fact that enrolment has grown steadily. The infrastructure is in poor condition. There are leaking roofs, peeling ceilings and overcrowded classrooms, which are dark and inadequately ventilated and packed with dual desks. Drainage is a major problem, especially during the rainy season. This not withstanding, the cluster can boast of a modern toilet facility that works, thanks to the generosity of the Polygroup of Companies that contributed Gh¢9,500 in 2007 for the installation of proper water closets and hand basins for washing. Soap, toilet rolls and towels are available, while a large polytank ensures that water is generally available.
Class sizes are well above the GES recommended 35 for primary schools and 25 for junior high schools. In the primary section, the average class has 67 pupils, while the range in the junior high is 50-55 per class. The Kindergarten, with 55 pupils, is currently without a building because the make-shift structure that was used had to be pulled down, as it was considered unsafe for the children.
In the 2007 BECE examination, Nima 1 and 2 junior high schools had the worst results in the Ayowaso sub-metro of Accra. Only 47% in Nima 1 JHS, and 14% in Nima 2 JHS, achieved aggregates below 30, the minimum pass mark, compared to a median pass rate for all public schools in Accra of 52%, and for private schools of close to 100%. The Nima schools achieved a pass rate of 34% and 19%, respectively in English. Without a pass in English, a pupil is not eligible for admission to a senior secondary school, even if he or she achieves the required aggregate. Clearly the poor performance in English is affecting achievement in other subjects. The end result is that very few pupils from the Nima Cluster of Schools go on to senior high school, thus perpetuating their low socio-economic status.
Teachers lack the basic teaching and learning materials needed for their work. For example, coloured chalk and science equipment are always in short supply. Although the Ghana Education Service (GES) has been supplying textbooks in core subjects like English, Mathematics and Science, one of the Form 3 junior high school pupils interviewed complained that there were not enough science and mathematics books to go around.
According to Mrs. Millicent Laswson-Adokpa, the Circuit Supervisor for the 17th Circuit, the shift system is the main problem affecting performance. In the primary section, pupils spend as little as four hours on the afternoon shift, while those in the junior high school, five hours, per day. The Head Teacher of Nima 1 Basic School, Mrs. Leila Mumuni, noted that if we want to put public and private schools on the same level, we need to abolish the shift system. Since many of these pupils come from homes where parents or guardians are struggling to make a living, youngsters are left to wander the environs of Nima unsupervised during large parts of the day when they are not in school. Many potential distractions lurk in the neighbourhood.
Although the government deserves praise for the introduction of the capitation grant in 2005, the allocation of GH¢3.00 per pupil per annum does not go very far. Nevertheless, this intervention has enabled many poor children, whose parents would not have been able to pay the small levies that were formerly charged at the school, to enrol. School feeding offered in some Accra metro schools has not yet been introduced at Nima. This initiative would be welcome, according to the school authorities, because a number of pupils come to classes having had no breakfast and without money to buy food. Ms Mabel Dokosi, the principal community health nurse based at the school, confirmed this because she sees a number of pupils daily who complain about tummy aches as a result of not having had breakfast.
Poverty, frustration and ignorance make a big impact on the lives of the pupils in the Nima Cluster of schools. The Circuit Supervisor estimated that about 23% of the pupils were very deprived. Apart from the fact that some of the children are hungry at school, others have neither uniforms nor shoes. Fortunately, GES does not prevent these pupils from attending classes, but the psychological effect on them must be significant. The National Partnership For Children's Trust, a charitable organisation based in Kokomlemle, has provided support in the form of shoes, bags, uniforms and stationery for some of the most needy pupils over the past three years.
As is the case with most families in Nima, pupils live in crowded homes, often with a large family sharing a small room. This is not conducive to studying, especially for pupils preparing for competitive examinations. When pupils requested the use of classrooms after hours for revision, the appeal was regrettably turned down because of the lack of adult supervision. It is therefore not surprising that the school achieves such poor results each year.
Despite the myriad problems faced by the school, two pupils interviewed were optimistic about the future. Daniel Adjei, a junior high school finalist, aged 17, hopes to be a footballer, failing that a bank manager. He has applied to one of the Best Senior Secondary schools to study business subjects. He cited the hard work of his teachers, as one of the positive aspects of the Nima 1 JHS. His classmate, Golda Abbey, aged 15, wants to be an international journalist. She felt that the lack of a school library was a serious hindrance for furthering one's knowledge beyond what was taught in the classroom.
A lot of hidden talent is waiting to be unearthed in the many pupils who pass through the Nima Cluster of Basic Schools. With the right structures in place, their future could be promising.
* The writer is a member of the Greater Accra branch of the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition, an NGO that works for quality free Compulsory Basic Education (FCUBE) for all Ghanaian children.
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