Paramount Chief Demands Urgent Action on Stray Animals Disrupting Lessons at Berase A.M.E. Zion Basic School
The Paramount Chief of the Abrem Traditional Area, Nana Kyiriwia Kodie V, has made a passionate appeal to the government and the Ghana Education Service to immediately address the deplorable conditions at Berase A.M.E. Zion Basic School, where goats and sheep regularly enter classrooms and interrupt teaching.
Speaking during the enstoolment ceremony of Nana Yaw Anomako III and Nana Ekua Apea II as Gyaasehene and Gyaasehemaa of the Abrem Traditional Area at the Abrem Berase Community Centre on Saturday, March 7, 2026, the chief described the situation as completely unacceptable and undignified for schoolchildren.
He pointed out that the absence of perimeter fencing around the school compound, combined with the deteriorating state of the classroom blocks, has left the premises vulnerable to stray livestock from the surrounding community. As a result, goats and sheep frequently wander into classrooms during lessons, disrupting academic activities and creating an unsafe learning environment.
“Education must take place in a safe and dignified environment as children in Accra, Kumasi and other cities enjoy. It is demeaning for pupils of Berase A.M.E. Zion Basic School to sit in classrooms where goats and sheep move about,” Nana Kyiriwia Kodie V said.
The traditional leader warned that the ongoing intrusion not only undermines the quality and dignity of education but also presents serious health and safety risks to pupils and teachers alike. He stressed that no child should be forced to endure such conditions in the pursuit of knowledge.
Nana Kyiriwia Kodie V called for swift government intervention to rehabilitate the dilapidated school buildings, construct a proper fence around the premises, and provide essential facilities to ensure a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning.
He urged the relevant authorities to treat the matter with the urgency it deserves, emphasizing that rural children deserve the same quality educational environment enjoyed by their counterparts in urban areas.
In the same ceremony, the newly installed Gyaasehene, Nana Yaw Anomako III, used the occasion to deliver a message of encouragement to the youth of Berase and surrounding communities. He urged young people not to dismiss agriculture in favor of chasing white-collar jobs alone.
Nana Yaw Anomako III highlighted farming as a viable, sustainable, and rewarding pathway to economic independence and national development, calling on the youth to embrace modern agricultural practices as a means of achieving self-reliance and contributing to food security.
The dual appeals from the traditional leaders reflect growing concerns about infrastructure deficits in rural schools and the need to promote agriculture as a dignified and profitable career choice among the younger generation in the Abrem Traditional Area. Local residents and education stakeholders now await concrete steps from the government to resolve the longstanding challenges at Berase A.M.E. Zion Basic School
