A NUMBER of pupils within the Greater Accra Region and some parts of the Eastern Region might lose their sight if appropriate measures are not put in place to reverse the trend.
Currently, most pupils in schools in some identified areas have to strain their eyes to read from chalkboards in their classrooms.
Minister of Education Lee Ocran, made the observation when he toured schools in some parts of the two regions as part of the ?My First Day at School? programme initiated by the ministry. It marked the first day of the new academic year of basic education schools.
It was revealed that most of the pupils? eye sights were at risk due to the poor lighting of the structure in which they received lessons daily.
?If immediate actions are not taken by Government to construct new structures with proper ventilation and lights, these pupils would in the future have sight problems,? lamented Mr. Ocran.
The situation was such that in most schools, authorities had provided the children with fluorescent lights to enable them take lessons.
At the Ga West Municipal Assembly, teachers at Ayikai Doblo M/A Primary School complained bitterly about the poor ventilation and darkness in the classrooms, explaining that it had, over the years, affected the performance of the school children.
Mr. Ocran, throughout the tour, stressed that due to the seriousness of the situation, his ministry, in collaboration with Government, would see to it that all those structures were reconstructed.
He said the programme had been a success and had significantly increased enrolment figures.
A teacher at Ayikai Doblo M/A Primary School at the Ga West Municipal Assembly, who did not want to be named, told DAILY GUIDE that due to the enormous heat in the classroom, most of the school children refused to return to the classroom after break.
?We need to always visit the parents of these children and plead with them before they send the children back to school,? he said.
However, teachers at most of the schools aside the complaints about the poor ventilation and darkness explained that the children within the Ga West Municipality did not attend school due to the lack of school feeding programme in the school.
Authorities of schools also called on government to include them in the school feeding programme in order to further increase enrolment.
?Although we see ?My First Day at School? as a good exercise, Government should as well address delays in payment of teachers salaries as most of us have not been paid for months now,? he pleaded.
The Minister and his entourage distributed free uniforms, exercise books, pencils, footballs, cups, biscuits and toffees to the pupils as promised by the government.
The heads of the schools took turns to commend Government for its support and appealed to Mr. Ocran to help address all the concerns raised to boost the children?s performance.
Stephen Adu, acting Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, in a remark, urged parents and guardians to invest and encourage their wards to attend school regularly in order to have a bright future.
Kindergarten children at the Ledzokuku Southern Cluster of Schools were given 17 cantons of fresh drinks, 300 pieces of plastic cups, 4 gallons of parasol, one carton of hand sanitizers and 50 school uniforms for distribution to those who did not have any.
At the Nungua Quaye Cluster of Schools, pupils were given books, erasers, pencils and fresh drinks while at the Tema Manhean Cluster of Schools, pupils were offered pencils, fresh drinks, and 50 school uniforms to both males and females.
He urged the teachers to impart knowledge to the children as if they were their own children and not beat them since that would only harden them.
Naomi Yeboah, a parent, thanked the government and the Ministry of Education for providing school uniforms for the schools and called for more support to encourage the children.
Samuel Owusu, a KG2 pupil at Ledzokuku Cluster of Schools, expressed appreciation to the government for visiting them and providing them with school uniforms and drinks.
Pupils of Konkon M/A Primary School and Obom-Kojoman M/A Primary School in the Ga West District Assembly also had their share of the presents.
Addressing the children, the Director of Secondary Education, Reverend Simon Asigi said ?the event was a way of releasing the boredom, loneliness and the nightmare that children find themselves in by restoring happiness, putting smiles on their faces and also cheering them up.?
Reverend Asigi further urged the children to take their education serious in order to become true leaders of the country in future.
Source Daily Guide Ghana
