A four-unit accommodation facility built to house teachers at Zorkor Goo Primary School in the Bongo District has remained unused for more than 10 years, forcing some teachers to find accommodation outside the community and raising concerns about teacher retention and punctuality.
Teachers, parents and community leaders say the facility has deteriorated considerably over the years and are calling on the Bongo District Assembly to renovate it and make it habitable.
The District Chief Executive for Bongo, Diana Asoketarige Ayamga, has acknowledged the condition of the facility and said the Assembly is working to have it renovated for use.
For residents, however, the intervention has been a long time coming.
PTA Chairman for Zorkor Goo, Emmanuel Ayamga Alo, said concerns about the accommodation have been raised with authorities over the years without a lasting solution.
According to him, the absence of suitable accommodation is making it difficult to retain teachers in the community, while some teachers posted to the school are reluctant to stay because they cannot find decent housing nearby.
Mr. Alo said Zorkor Goo Primary School was once one of the more populated and better-performing schools in the Bongo District but is now confronting challenges that are affecting its progress.
A parent, Grace Adongo, said the accommodation facility was previously in better condition but has deteriorated over the years.
She said restoring the building would allow teachers to live closer to the school and improve teaching and learning.
For Michael Effah, a professional teacher posted to Zorkor Goo from the Central Region, the accommodation problem is particularly difficult for teachers coming from outside the Upper East Region.
He said teachers posted to the community can struggle to secure suitable accommodation nearby, forcing some to live elsewhere and travel longer distances to work.
That, he said, could affect punctuality and the amount of time teachers are able to dedicate to their work.
“Teachers, or maybe those who are to be posted, when they come, they will find a place to stay, which will be closer to the school, and it will help them very well in the school, which will enhance effective teaching and learning,” Mr. Effah said.
Assembly Member for the area Fuseni Nbire Apana also raised concerns about the condition of the four-unit facility, questioning the quality of its original construction.
According to him, the building was not constructed to the expected standard and has since deteriorated to a point where teachers cannot comfortably live there.
Mr. Apana said the community had previously raised two major concerns with the late Bongo District Chief Executive Joseph Akasake Abaah: the need for a CHPS compound and the condition of the teachers’ accommodation.
He said the late DCE intervened to address the CHPS compound issue, but the teachers’ accommodation remained unresolved.
Mr. Apana appealed to the government, the Bongo District Assembly and development partners to renovate the facility and provide teachers with decent accommodation.
Residents say bringing the four-unit facility back into use could make it easier for Zorkor Goo Primary School to attract and retain teachers, particularly those posted from outside the community, while reducing the distances some teachers have to travel to school.
With the Bongo DCE acknowledging the problem and indicating that efforts are underway to renovate the facility, residents are now hoping the more than decade-long wait will finally end.
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