Amadum Adankwame Methodist Primary School Teachers Appeal to Government Over ‘Pothole Classrooms’ and Unsafe Conditions
Teachers at the Amadum Adankwame Methodist Primary School in the Atwima Nwabiagya South District have launched a desperate appeal to the government and educational stakeholders to intervene and save the school from collapse, describing their teaching environment as “pothole classrooms” — classrooms with broken floors, leaking roofs, and dangerously cracked walls.
The situation, they say, has made teaching and learning unbearable and unsafe. According to them, pupils are forced to sit in classrooms filled with dust, rainwater, and even human waste due to the lack of doors, windows, and toilet facilities. The school, which serves hundreds of pupils in the Amadum Adankwame community, has been left to deteriorate for years despite repeated complaints and appeals for help.
“Our classrooms are in a very deplorable state. The floors have potholes, the roofs leak, and some blocks have no doors or windows. When it rains, we must pause teaching and move pupils to corners of the room that are dry,” one teacher said.
“We the teachers even have no chairs or tables. We are doing our best under very poor conditions, but it’s becoming unbearable.”
The term “pothole classrooms”, coined by frustrated staff, reflects the literal holes in the floors and roofs of some of the school blocks, making it extremely difficult for children to focus on learning.
Aside from the crumbling infrastructure, the school lacks essential amenities such as dual desks, teachers’ chairs, urinals, and toilets. Pupils often sit on broken desks or the bare floor, and teachers have nowhere to ease themselves throughout the day. The absence of a fence wall has also left the compound exposed to intruders, particularly during the night.
Some local youth reportedly sneak into the classrooms after school hours to smoke, sleep, and even defecate — a problem made worse by the lack of proper security infrastructure. The following morning, teachers and pupils are sometimes welcomed by a strong stench and unsanitary conditions.
Mr. Stephen Osei Akoto, a member of the School Management Committee (SMC), described the condition of the school as a “disgrace to basic education.”
“The school is not fit for human use, yet children are learning here every day. We’ve made countless appeals to the District Assembly and Ghana Education Service, but nothing has changed,” he stated.
“We need government to come to our aid now. These children deserve better.”
Although the school recently received a donation of some desks from the Old Students’ Association, teachers say that gesture — while helpful — only scratches the surface of the challenges they face.
“We appreciate what our past students have done, but the problem is bigger than furniture. We need a complete renovation. We need a toilet. We need a fence wall. We need security,” Mr. Akoto added.
The plight of Amadum Adankwame Methodist Primary School reflects the broader infrastructure gap affecting many rural schools in Ghana. Teachers, pupils, and parents are now hoping that their appeal will spark urgent government action to restore safety and dignity to the school environment.
