Kpandai Assembly distributes over 900 desks to schools
The Kpandai District Assembly in the Northern Region has supplied more than 900 dual and mono desks to the Kpandai Directorate of Education for distribution to schools across the district.
The furniture, comprising 400 dual desks and 500 mono desks, forms part of the Assembly's ongoing efforts to address the persistent shortage of classroom furniture in educational institutions.
The intervention is expected to improve teaching and learning conditions while creating a more conducive environment for students.
A total of 45 selected public schools across the district are expected to benefit from the first phase of the distribution exercise.
Presenting the desks, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Kpandai, Haruna Abdul-Karim, said the initiative reflects the government's commitment, through the Ministry of Education, to improving access to quality education by ensuring that schools are adequately equipped with the necessary infrastructure and learning resources.
While commending the intervention, Mr Abdul-Karim expressed concern over the persistent shortage of teachers, particularly in rural communities, where many schools are compelled to operate with only one or a few teachers handling multiple subjects across different classes.
He also highlighted the lack of teachers' accommodation in many of these communities, describing it as a key factor affecting teacher retention.
According to the DCE, the Assembly was aware of these challenges and was exploring measures to address them, including the construction of teachers' quarters in some of the most deprived schools and communities to encourage them to remain at post and ultimately improve the quality of education delivery in such areas.
He therefore appealed to the government and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to support the Assembly's efforts to address the challenges facing the education sector in the district.
Mr Abdul-Karim further observed that the posting of teachers who are not natives of the district has, over the years, contributed to the teacher deficit, as many eventually seek transfers to other areas after serving for a period.
He expressed optimism that the ongoing teacher recruitment exercise would prioritise qualified applicants from the district to help improve teacher retention.
"I believe teachers posted to Kpandai should, as much as possible, be natives of the district.
This will encourage them to remain and serve their communities rather than seek transfers after a few years of service," he stated.
Addressing deficit
Receiving the furniture, the Kpandai District Director of Education, Yaw Sarfo, commended the government and the Ministry of Education for extending the intervention to schools in the district to help address the persistent furniture deficit.
He noted that despite ongoing efforts to improve educational outcomes, the district still faced significant challenges, including shortages of furniture, teachers, and educational infrastructure and appealed to the government and the ministry to provide additional support to help bridge those gaps.
Mr Sarfo also expressed gratitude to the Assembly for the continued support and commitment to improving educational standards in the district.
He gave an assurance that the Directorate would ensure the fair distribution of the furniture to beneficiary schools and urged school authorities to properly maintain the desks to guarantee their longevity and sustainability.
