Cape Coast Presby Church School appeals for expanded infrastructure
The Cape Coast Presbyterian Church Basic School has appealed for expanded infrastructure to facilitate effective teaching and learning in a safe environment.
The management of the school said as a result of the COVID-19 spread, the institution needed space to contain the significantly large numbers.
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Some of the classes in the primary level, for instance, have as many as 102 pupils, while others have between 80 and 90 pupils.
Social distancing
As a result of the inadequate furniture and in respect of the physical distancing COVID-19 protocols, some of the students have resorted to using gallons for furniture.
The Headteacher of the primary school, Ms Regina Ohenewa Adofo, said the school needed space, “especially during this pandemic when pupils have to observe physical distancing”.
She said this when the St Paul's Presbyterian Church responded to the school’s appeal with furniture and canopies.
The church presented 30 mono desks and three rooms of canopies to the school.
The Second Minister of the church, Reverend Benjamin Ofori Twum, who represented the Cape Coast District Minister of the Presbyterian Church, said the donation was in response to an appeal made by the school to the church for support.
The mono desks were given to the JHS Department to ease the furniture problem while the canopies were handed over to the Primary Department to help decongest the classrooms in adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols.
Smaller classes
Ms Ohenewa Adofo, said there was an urgent need to break the number of pupils in the classes into small sizes in adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols and for effective teaching and learning.
She, however, indicated that the school did not have the needed infrastructure, adding that intruders used the school campus as a thoroughfare and sometimes disturbing teaching and learning and called for a wall for the school.
Ms Adofo also asked for water supply to the school to help improve the hand-washing protocol.
The Headteacher of the JHS, Ms Vivian Boadu, said the presentation of the furniture had come at a time when there was an urgent need to adhere to the Covid-19 safety protocols.
Temporary measures
She said the large numbers of students in the school had compelled them to take over a two-unit classroom that belonged to the Mensah-Sarbah School nearby to accommodate the JHS students.
Again, she said the staff common room had been converted into a classroom while the teachers used the veranda as the staff space and, therefore, called for a new classroom block to ease the pressure the lack of structures was creating.
The Chairman of the education committee of the church, Mr Eric Arthur, said the church was committed to the development of their schools and would continue to support with basic needs that would improve both teaching and learning.