Students at Zamse Senior High Technical School in Bolgatanga are grappling with severe infrastructure challenges that threaten their academic progress, forcing some to sit on blocks and bare floors during lessons.
The school, located in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region, has over 2,600 students but lacks adequate furniture and basic facilities. The situation has become so dire that students often take their meals under trees, as the dining hall remains inadequate for the school’s population.
“Let’s fight hard to achieve our aim,” reads a dominant line from the school’s anthem. It’s a message that has taken on new meaning for students who now find themselves fighting not just for academic excellence but for basic learning conditions.
The furniture shortage has forced many students to sit on concrete blocks, empty gallons, or even the floor during classes. This unconducive environment is severely impacting their ability to concentrate and perform academically, according to sources within the school community.
Responding to the crisis, the Parent Teacher Association has stepped forward with critical support. The PTA recently donated 600 dual desks to help ease the furniture shortage and improve classroom engagement. While this intervention provides some relief, it addresses only part of the school’s broader infrastructure challenges.
Simon Anabah, the school’s Headmaster, confirmed the severity of the situation. He revealed that management was forced to reduce student intake from 1,000 to 800 for the 2024/2025 academic year due to the furniture crisis alone.
“In the 2023/2024 academic year, we admitted 1,009 students, but the furniture crisis pressurised us to limit the number to a little over 800,” Anabah explained. He noted that beyond classroom furniture, the dining hall also lacks adequate tables and benches for students.
The school’s infrastructure problems extend far beyond furniture. Multiple construction projects, including a new dining hall, a 12 unit dormitory block, and a 12 unit classroom block, have been stalled. These incomplete projects pose serious threats to the school’s academic progress.
Particularly troubling is a dormitory project funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund that has been abandoned since 2014. The stalled construction has left the school unable to adequately house its growing student population.
Zamse Senior High Technical School was established in 1976 as a junior secondary school in Bukere. On October 10, 1979, it was upgraded to a technical senior high school and relocated to Bolgatanga. The school offers programmes in technical education, home economics, general science, and general arts.
Despite these overwhelming challenges, the school continues to operate, relying heavily on the resilience of students, teachers, and support from the parent community. However, education stakeholders are calling for urgent government intervention to complete stalled projects and provide adequate learning materials.
The situation at Zamse reflects broader challenges facing many technical and vocational schools across Ghana’s northern regions, where infrastructure gaps continue to undermine efforts to provide quality education and develop technical skills among young people.
Sources within the school community say discipline has also become a challenge on campus, partly attributed to the difficult conditions under which students must learn. They’re hoping that improved facilities will help restore a more conducive learning environment.
While the PTA’s donation of desks marks an important step, it’s clear that comprehensive government support will be needed to fully address the infrastructure deficit and give Zamse students the learning environment they deserve.
