At the Old-Mframa Municipal Assembly Basic School in the Wenchi Municipality, the journey of education for the youngest learners begins not in a brightly coloured classroom, but in a converted staff common room.
With no dedicated Kindergarten (KG) block, the school has been forced to repurpose its only staff room to accommodate growing enrolment at the KG level—an improvisation that has left teachers without a workspace, now preparing lessons and grading assignments under tree canopies.
Headmaster Mr. Amos Twene, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, described the situation as deeply troubling but born out of necessity.
“We couldn’t turn the children away, so we gave them what we had,” he explained. “But it’s not a permanent solution. It’s not fair to the teachers, and it’s not fair to the children.”
While expressing gratitude to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for constructing a six-unit classroom block, Mr. Twene made a heartfelt appeal for additional support—specifically, a purpose-built KG block to provide a proper learning environment for the youngest pupils.
He called on philanthropic individuals, NGOs, and community stakeholders to step in where state resources fall short.
“This is a critical stage in the children’s development. They deserve a safe, stimulating environment to begin their education,” he said.
Beyond the lack of infrastructure, the school also struggles with shortages of desks and basic teaching and learning materials, further compounding the challenges faced by both pupils and teachers.
Despite these constraints, staff continue to show up, improvising in open-air spaces and doing what they can to ensure no child is left behind.
“Our teachers are doing their best, but the burden is heavy,” Mr. Twene noted. “With support, we can do much better.”
The situation at Old-Mframa is a reflection of broader infrastructural challenges in Ghana’s rural education system, where resource constraints often force improvisation at the cost of quality.
For the children of Old-Mframa, the classroom might be a converted staff room—but their dreams, like those of children anywhere, are full of promise. And that, educators say, is worth investing in.
