Two years after a torrential rainstorm ripped the roof off its main classroom block, the Manfo Seventh-Day Adventist Primary and Junior High School continues to battle a deepening infrastructure crisis that is straining both teachers and pupils.
What began as a heavy downpour has evolved into a prolonged emergency for the school, located in the farming community of Manfo in the Ashanti Region’s Tano Ano Municipality.
Today, school authorities are appealing urgently to government, corporate institutions, NGOs, old students and benevolent individuals to intervene before the situation further undermines teaching and learning. Daniel Donkor has more in this report.
Established in 1970, the school serves 310 pupils from Kindergarten to Junior High School. In a community known for plantain and cocoa production, it remains a critical centre of learning for children in Manfo and surrounding settlements, a symbol of hope for families who see education as the surest path to a better future.
Roof Lost, Classes Merged
The school’s main classroom block, which previously housed Classes One to Six, lost its roof during a violent rainstorm two years ago. Since then, full restoration efforts have stalled.
When Asaase News visited the campus, it observed congested classrooms and improvised learning spaces. Multiple classes have been merged due to the lack of adequate rooms.
Assistant Headteacher, Linda Mensah, described the situation as “dire and increasingly unsustainable.”
“Because the main classroom block lost its roof during the heavy rains two years ago, we have been compelled to merge classes,” she explained.
According to her, Kindergarten One, Kindergarten Two and Class One are currently sharing a single classroom. Classes Three and Six have also been merged, while Classes Four and Five occupy the same space.
To cope, the school has converted its administrative office, teachers’ common room, storeroom and even the on-campus SDA Church building into temporary classrooms, a measure authorities say is far from ideal.
New Block Already Cracking
In 2023, a new classroom structure was constructed to ease the pressure. However, relief has been short-lived.
Cracks have already developed in the building, raising serious safety concerns. School authorities say portions of the structure are unsafe for pupils, compounding fears about the long-term stability of the facility.
Beyond infrastructure challenges, the school is also grappling with an acute shortage of government-approved textbooks. Pupils are often forced to share limited learning materials, making effective lesson delivery difficult.
The absence of an ICT laboratory and computers has further widened the digital gap for learners in the rural community.
“Our pupils are already disadvantaged. Without ICT facilities and adequate textbooks, it becomes even more difficult to compete with their counterparts elsewhere,” Ms. Mensah noted.
Urgent Call for Intervention
School authorities are therefore appealing for support to reconstruct the damaged classroom blocks and provide essential facilities, including an ICT laboratory, a library and sufficient textbooks.
For many families in Manfo, education represents the clearest ladder out of poverty. Yet, without swift and coordinated intervention, the future of more than 300 pupils risks being shaped not by opportunity and innovation, but by overcrowded classrooms and crumbling walls.
Two years after the storm, the rains may have stopped, but for Manfo SDA School, the crisis endures.
Report by Daniel Donkor, Bono Region
Asaase Broadcasting Company airs on Asaase 99.5 Accra, Asaase 98.5 Kumasi, Asaase 99.7 Tamale, Asaase 100.3 Cape Coast, AsaasePa 107.3 (Accra).
Affiliates: Bawku FM 101.5, Bead FM 99.9 (Bimbilla), Mining City Radio 89.5 (Tarkwa), Nandom FM 101.9, Nyatefe Radio 94.5 (Dzodze), Sissala Radio 96.3 (Tumu), Somuaa FM 89.9 (Gushegu), Stone City 90.7 (Ho) and Wale FM 106.9 (Walewale).
Listen online: atlanticafricanews.com/, Sound Garden and TuneIn.
Follow us:
X: @asaaseradio995, @Asaase985ksi, @Asaase997tamale, @asaase1003, asaasepa1073
Instagram: asaaseradio99.5, asaase985ksi, asaase100.3, asaase99.7tamale, asaasepa107.3
LinkedIn: company/asaaseradio995. TikTok: @asaaseradio99.5
Facebook: asaase99.5, asaase985ksi, Asaase100.3, asaase99.7, AsaasePa107.3.
YouTube: AsaaseRadioXtra.
Join the conversation. Accra: call 020 000 9951/054 888 8995, WhatsApp 020 000 0995. Kumasi: call 059 415 7985 or call/WhatsApp 020 631 5260. Tamale: call/WhatsApp/SMS 053 554 6468. Cape Coast: call/WhatsApp 059 388 2652.
#AsaaseRadio
#AsaasePa
#TheVoiceofOurLand
