Disabled father of 5 defies disability by offering to teach at community school

His zeal to impart knowledge to the youth and change society through education convinced him to brave his disability to undertake voluntary teaching service in one of the underprivileged communities in Wa West district.

Bernard Timbouri, forty years old, chose to offer voluntary service after realizing a significant deficit in the number of professional teachers assigned to the community.

Younuuri is one of the scattered and deprived settlements in Wa West District of the Upper West Region.

The community’s zeal for education compelled the Roman Catholic Church to establish a school there.

A philanthropist supported the church by providing a decent learning environment for students.

Auxiliary facilities such as teachers’ bungalow, library and canteen were provided.

However, only three professional teachers were assigned there to care for students from Kindergarten 1 to JHS 3.

One teacher looks after KG and primary levels at all times, another looks after JHS 1 to 3, while the headteacher handles administrative duties and also commutes between primary and JHS to teach during contact hours .

Teaching and learning at the school has not been effective, resulting in reduced enrolments.

In 2016, Bernard Timbouri, a high school graduate, chose to volunteer within the school and focused on two subjects: religious and moral education and basic design and technology (BDT).

Bernard depends on a rickety manual wheelchair for his mobility.

However, when the father of five can no longer drive to school, his fellow teachers travel to offer help.

They transport him to school and bring him back after contact hours.

Bernard uses his knees to crawl across the sand of the course to the classroom every time he has lessons.

Another challenge arises when entering class because the structure is not adapted for people with disabilities, which exposes them to stress as soon as they arrive in class.

Despite these challenges, Bernard’s zeal for educating the children of his community is strong, even though he is not paid for his services.

He and his nuclear family survive on produce from a farm that students help him cultivate.

“Neither the school nor the community pays me for my services, but I can raise money through a farm that the students help me cultivate. Thanks to this, I can feed my family,” Bernard said.

Teachers say Bernard’s contribution to the school’s academic progress has been impressive.

Bernard would like to benefit from support to facilitate his mobility to enable him to do more for his people.

By Stanley Nii Blewu