Fr. Lebel Junior High School in the Bongo District is facing severe classroom congestion and a critical shortage of furniture, conditions the headmaster says are undermining effective teaching and learning.
Speaking to the media, Headmaster Norbert Atiabila Ayuuriyesiya said the school ranks as the third most populated junior high school among 77 public and private JHSs in the district, behind Bongo Soe A and Apowungo JHS.
Despite the high enrollment, he said the school operates with only a three-unit classroom block, creating significant pressure on available space and teaching resources.
Current enrollment stands at 76 students in Form One, 75 in Form Two, and 58 in Form Three, a situation he said makes classroom management, instruction, and assessment extremely difficult.
“With the large enrollment in each class, teachers face difficulties in giving exercises and marking them. Even teaching in the classroom is a challenge,” Mr. Ayuuriyesiya said.
He added that conditions worsen during the hot season, when overcrowded classrooms become uncomfortable for both teachers and students.
“As we are now in the hot season, when you enter some of the classrooms, you cannot even stay there for one hour,” he said.
The furniture deficit is most severe in the Basic Seven classroom, where students reportedly have no desks. Pupils are forced to sit on concrete blocks gathered from nearby areas, while some parents have purchased plastic chairs for their children.
Mr. Ayuuriyesiya appealed to government, non-governmental organisations, philanthropists, and education stakeholders to urgently provide additional classroom blocks and furniture to ease pressure on the school.
Lungu Electoral Area Assemblyman and community member, John Awine Ayamga, confirmed the challenges facing the school, citing inadequate desks, classrooms, and learning materials.
He said residents have been contributing through self-help initiatives to support the school’s operations.
According to him, the community has also begun constructing a computer laboratory, but the project is stalled at about 85 percent completion due to financial constraints.
“As a community representative, I am actively engaging the district assembly. I am appealing to individuals, NGOs, the district assembly, and government to support the school with the needed resources,” Mr. Ayamga said.
He added that the school urgently needs an additional classroom block to accommodate its growing student population.
The situation at Fr. Lebel JHS reflects a broader infrastructure gap in fast-growing schools across the Upper East Region, where rising enrollment continues to outpace classroom expansion and learning resources. Stakeholders are calling for urgent intervention to safeguard learning outcomes and student welfare.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Moses Anaba Azubire | Bongo
