OSU SALEM IN DEPLORABLE STATE (PAGE 32, NOV 12)

OSU Salem Junior High School, the oldest basic school established by the Basel Mission in the country in 1843, is in a very deplorable state by way of dilapidated infrastructure and lack of teaching and learning materials.
The main storey classroom building has been vacated since 1991 because the dilapidated structure was considered to be unsafe for academic work, after which the school authorities converted some of the dormitory blocks into classrooms.
Currently, the school has only five classrooms to cater for six classes, compelling the authorities to merge the two Form One classes.
The headmaster of the school operates his office on the veranda of his residence on campus, while the teachers are compelled to use one of the classrooms of the vacated school building as staff common room.
About six months to write a maiden Paper on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at the 2010 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), the school have no computers and the pupils have little or no knowledge of the new subject.
These challenges, according to the headmaster, Rev Isaac Brown, were impacting negatively on the academic performance of the pupils.
At the 2009 BECE, the best student from the school obtained aggregate 12, a result Rev Brown described as unacceptable for a school noted for its academic prowess and the fact that it had produced renowned personalities like Sir Emmanuel Charles Quist, first Speaker of the country’s Legislative Assembly; Nii Armaah Ollennu, former Speaker of Parliament; Prof. Easmond, Dr Evans Anfom, Prof F. T. Sai, Prof Seth Aryeetey, Mr Harry Sawyerr, Rev Dr Hesse, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe and Mr Ishmael Nii Armah Ashietey, Greater Accra Regional Minister.
In response to some of the needs of the school, the Rotaract Club of the University of Ghana, Legon, yesterday donated a computer and its accessories, a scanner, multipurpose printer and copier, as well as 30 computer accessories worth GH¢800 to the school.
The President of the club, Ms Nelly Opoku-Nti, assured the school authorities that members of the club would offer their services to the school next academic year by teaching the pupils ICT during weekends.
She urged other organisations and individuals to lend their support to the school.
Rev Brown thanked the club for the gesture and appealed to other philanthropists to emulate the gesture of Rotaract Club of Legon.