Pupils of Madagascar and Agalakope exploited on farms during school hours

The quest to promote quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all has been a mirage at Madagascar, an island community in the Kwahu Afram Plains North district.

This is because parents use their wards for farming and fishing activities when school is in session.

Other children have also stopped schooling because they lack canoe to cross the Volta lake to school.

It is evident that education is a powerful tool that supports positive transformation of society.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 corroborates the assertion, but also urged life-long learning for all by 2030.

However, residents of Agalakope and Madagascar in the Kwahu Afram Plains North district, changing society through education could take decades if not century, because schooling is not a priority.

Madagascar, one of the several islands in the district was provided a school by the Ghana Education Service following a constitutional provision mandating the implementation of free compulsory basic education.

However, enrollment has significantly declined because parents use their wards for farming and fishing activities morning of every school going day.

As a result, the district education directorate has authorised the school to start classes at 9am each day instead of the usual 7am.

However, during the news team’s visit to the school at 10am, no pupil has reported to school.

The news team then visited some nearby farms to engage some parents who were using their children to weed a pepper farm at a time school was supposed to be in session.

The engagement convinced the parents to release two of his children to come to school.

Kojo Ndikibi attempted to justify the choice for the use of their children as labour for farming activities while school is in session.

According to him, most parents’ reason for using their children as cheap labourers on farms was as a result teachers not reporting to school early.

“The teachers do not report to school early, we have been complaining, but they will not change,” he explained.

Pupils who reside behind the Volta Lake and require canoe to commute to school daily have stopped schooling due to the non-availability of canoes.

Families that have acquired canoes use them for fishing.

In the community, the children rather assist their parents to descale and smoke fish harvested.

One fish monger told 3news’ Stanley Nii Blewu that “we wish to educate our children but the Volta Lake is risky to cross by our children.”

“We will send them to our hometown so they can go to school when the next academic term begins,” she added.

Two professional teachers posted to handle kindergarten one to class five pupils of the school are committed to their cause but also face challenges.

The head teacher, Raphael Kpoha has acquired a miniature canoe which enables him commute to school to teach but he has no life jacket.

He has been doing this alone for more than a decade. He said the situation at the Madagascar school is serious and needs stakeholders’ attention to address.

He blamed the non-existence of school feeding programme in the school as part of reasons pupils do not find interest schooling.

The structure serving as class room has rapidly deteriorated. The construction of newer classroom block by the Member of Parliament for the area has not been completed five years after construction begun.

The school is forced to use the structure in its current state due to the danger the old one poses to them.

The Afram Plains district GNAT Secretary, Obeng Koranteng Addae was not happy about the prevailing situation at the Madagascar school.

He said rural schools such as the Madagascar Basic is where the school feeding intervention is needed to boost enrollment and sustain the pupils’ interest in education.

It is clear that parents’ commitment to their wards’ education and central government’s investment in educational infrastructure are key requirements to achieve improved learning outcomes at Madagascar.

Source: 3news.com