Students of Diaspora Girls’ Senior High School at Obodan in the Akuapem South Municipality of the Eastern Region are battling severe infrastructure challenges that continue to disrupt teaching and learning.
With a student population of about 900, the school lacks several key facilities, including adequate classroom blocks, a library, an assembly hall and a modern dining hall. The shortage has forced some students to attend classes in the school canteen, while others receive lessons under trees.
A source at the school described the situation as a major setback to academic work and called for urgent intervention from the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Students Forced to Learn in Canteen and Open Spaces
According to the source, some classes are held in the canteen before food vendors begin operating each day.
“Students are taught in the same space where food is sold. Sometimes vendors arrive while lessons are ongoing and begin setting up. It is not an environment that supports effective learning,” the source said.
The classroom shortage has also forced some students to study outdoors under trees. However, lessons often come to a halt whenever it rains.
“Teaching and learning stop completely when it starts raining because there is no alternative classroom space for the students,” the source added.
Inadequate Dining Facilities Create Additional Challenges
The school’s dining hall, designed for fewer than 200 students, currently serves nearly 900 learners.
As a result, students eat in shifts and often wait long periods before accessing meals. Some students also use an unfinished Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) structure as an alternative dining area.
The arrangement becomes difficult during bad weather, leaving students with limited options.
“Students sometimes eat at the abandoned PTA structure because the dining hall is too small. When it rains, the situation becomes very challenging,” the source explained.
Concerns Over Dormitory Conditions
Stakeholders have also raised concerns about the condition of the school’s dormitories, which are reportedly overcrowded and overstretched.
Parents who recently visited the school during a PTA meeting expressed disappointment over the state of some facilities. Many questioned how students could thrive academically under such conditions.
Stakeholders Appeal for Urgent Support
The growing infrastructure deficit has sparked concern among parents, teachers and community members, who fear the situation could affect academic performance and student welfare.
They are calling on the Ministry of Education, GES, corporate organisations, development partners and philanthropists to support the school with additional classroom blocks, a library, an assembly hall, a modern dining facility and improved boarding infrastructure.
For students and staff of Diaspora Girls’ SHS, stakeholders say urgent intervention is needed to create a safe and conducive learning environment that supports quality education and helps students achieve their full potential.
