Awutu Bentum Residents Want ‘Ghost’ School Restored

Children of school growing old at Awutu Bentum in the Awutu Senya West District of the central region are been denied access to education. Even though government records have a school established in the village, there is a contrary narrative as students rather trek to other nearby communities to access education, a situation which is negatively affecting younger children of pre-school going age who cannot trek. Soireenews has more on this.

Right here, where this heathen stands is the exact location where members of the community in 1987 put up temporary structures for the Awutu Bentum D/A Basic School with the notion that the government would have absorbed it for further expansion.

Even though education authorities then considered the brilliant idea, nothing much was done to support the community’s initiative until the school’s eventual collapse.

But since 1992, Ghana’s electoral commission has had it in its records that the school exists and has consistently cited the ‘ghost’ school as a polling station, named Awutu Bentum D/A Basic School Polling station.

Ironically, the only evidence on the school that exists here at the Crystal Palace street of Awutu Bentum is this football park which would have served as a playground for pupils.

The presence of this ghost school as described by members of the community is serving as a hindrance to education for children of this community as they’d have to trek for several miles to access educational facilities in nearby communities.

Toddlers would have to wait until they attain age 7 when they can trek those miles before they are enrolled at preschools, at a time when their counterparts within other jurisdictions may have graduated to Basic School 2.

For those who are enrolled, the walking distance coupled with the nature of roads serves as a disincentive as they mostly miss classes.

For most children here, constructing basic sentences is a herculean task.

Jonathan Agyei is an elder in the community with insight into the history of the school.

 Speaking to Soireenews he appealed to the government and stakeholders to come to the aid of the community with a school.

He bemoaned how children under the excuse of being tired of trekking skip school many times.

Nana Bentum III is chief of the community. According to him, he has made several calls to the Awutu Senya West District Assembly but is yet to receive any positive response.

He desires to see a school established in the community. Some community members who spoke to Soireenews are also appealing passionately to the government, NGOs, and other stakeholders to help realize the olden dream of having a school in Awutu Bentum.

These kids are supposed to be in school, but here they are sitting at home and either playing with their friends or assisting in household chores. For these kids, establishing a school within the Awutu Bentum community will be of great delight to them as it’ll help save their already tired feet.

Assemblyman for the area, Nathaniel Aidoo has also been speaking to Soireenews on the matter. To him, his ultimate desire is to have at least a preschool established in the community to cater fire the educational needs of toddlers who cannot trek to adjacent communities to access early childhood education.

The future of these children in Awutu Bentum is uncertain. An educational facility that has been established here at Crystal Palace street may however help place their future in the position of certainty.

Story By Kwaku Donkoh.