Authorities of the Zabzugu Senior High School in the northern region have called on the government and other philanthropists to help address the school’s problems by providing adequate infrastructure such as classrooms, and staff accommodation as well as recruiting staff for its smooth running.
Among the many challenges facing the school are the lack of a dinning hall, and inadequate accommodation for staff members. Students are compelled to eat in the open, and about 90 percent of teachers in the school live outside the campus, making it very difficult for effective supervision.
These bottlenecks confronted the new headmaster, Mr. Osman Halidu Macarious, who during the school’s 25th anniversary and first speech and prize- giving day at Zabzugu, lamented the fact that the school has to deal with these problems without no support from authorities. The school started on 28th January, 1991, with only 83 students and currently has a student population of over 2,400.
According to the head master, with the support from the stakeholders led by the PTA, the school was able to overcome some of the major challenges. The PTA, he said, put up a three-unit classroom block, provided money for the rehabilitation of pavilions, while the assembly also constructed a three-unit classroom block with an office.
The continuous appeals for support, he added, resulted in the construction of 13 classrooms in 2015 that have solved some of the congestion problems and also created more space for more students to be admitted.
The school also has two dormitory blocks, with a capacity of 180 beds for girls through the support of stakeholders, the ZABSEC headmaster added.
Another major challenge confronting the school was water, which he said, is affecting academic work but has now been addressed through the intervention of the Zabzugu district assembly. Despite the interventions so far, challenges still persist.
Academic performance
On the performance of students, the head master said, students’ academic work has . In 2014, the performimproved, with overall performance around 28%. But in 2015 it reduced to 21% . In 2016, 70 students had A1 to C6 increasing the performence level to 40% .
Extra curriculum activities
The Zabzugu SHS, according to the head master dominates in sports, particularly in football in the northern zone and is currently holds the championship in 8 out of 11 sporting activities. The school was the first in the zone to have a police cadet corp which has the Inspector General of Police approval and is now waiting for approval and recognition from the Ghana Education Service.
The first Head master of Zabzugu Senior High School, Mr Abdulai Mohammed was awarded with a brand new flat screen television and a citation which chronicled his effort during the struggles of the school to its current state. Other deserving individuals were also awarded for contributing their quota to the school