Overcrowded Classrooms Spark Village Debate

Last week the Joekwart Memorial Community Centre hosted an important town meeting to address the issue of a new school scheduling system at District Assembly Primary School.  The meeting was chaired by the Chief of Humjibre, Nana Kwadwo Twum II,  with his counsel of elders in attendance.  The new school schedule splits classes into two sessions: a morning session from 7:30am to 12:00pm, and an afternoon session from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.  The teachers from District Assembly Primary School explained that this new arrangement is necessary because their classrooms have become overcrowded, with upwards of 60 students in attendance and students often sitting four to a table. 

Anxious parents expressed two main concerns.  Besides creating learning challenges, parents recognize that overcrowded classrooms also pose a health risk in terms of easier transmission of contagious illness.  This is a legitimate worry, as Humjibre lies on the edge of the tropical rainforest, providing the optimal climate for a host of infectious diseases.  This concern argues in favour of reducing class sizes.  However, the more pressing concern now is that the new school schedule has drastically increased the rate of truancy among students.  Students assigned to the morning sessions have been playing hooky, telling adults passing by as they play outside that they are part of the afternoon session.  Afternoon students pull the same trick in reverse.

When this concern was voiced, the atmosphere of the town meeting became very heated.  Although the meeting was conducted in Sefwi, it was clear that some community members were very upset seeing the children compromise their education by skipping class to run wild and play throughout the whole day.  At many points throughout the meeting, the Chief had to keep order by urging people to calm down and speak one at time.

Everyone was given a chance to express their apprehensions regarding the new schedule and then the floor was opened for suggestions on how to solve the problem.  Things heated up once again, with voices rising and tempers flaring among those who disagreed with suggestions.  Finally the group came to a consensus on a way to solve this predicament.  The community agreed that a new school building should be constructed to accommodate the students adequately.  To cover the costs of undertaking this new construction project, every man in Humjibre is to contribute five Ghana Cedis, and each woman, three Ghana cedis.  A sense of relief permeated the hall once this conclusion was reached, and everyone seemed satisfied to be part of the process that produced this solution.

The problem of overcrowded classrooms is not limited to Ghana, but is a common problem across Sub-Saharan Africa.  A survey by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics shows that “a child in Sub-Saharan Africa is likely to study in an overcrowded classroom that can number as many as 67 pupils in Chad, for example, compared to fewer than 30” in country members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.  Adding to the problem, many classes in the region combine different grades, grouping children of different levels of education together, taught by a single teacher (UNESCO). 

It was clear in observing this town meeting that residents of Humjibre take their childrens’ schooling very seriously.  They know that these early years of school work may very well dictate the rest of the child’s life.  It’s also clear that Humjibre is a place where everyone has a voice, and that the community faces challenges together under the guidance of the Chief and the elders.

Of course some of the children might be disappointed that their carefree, self-given days off from school are over, but one day they will be thankful for it!

Source:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/resources/online-materials/single-view/news/inadequate_school_and_teaching_resources_challenge_education_in_sub_saharan_africa/

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