“Urgent Call for Action: Lack of Furniture Plagues Primary Schools Across Ghana”
Recent findings from the Ministry of Education’s Education Management Information System (EMIS) paint a grim picture of the state of primary education in Ghana. As of 2021, a staggering 40 percent of basic school pupils, totaling 2,330,893 children, lack adequate seating and writing places, severely hindering their academic progress.
In classrooms across the country, pupils resort to desperate measures to cope with the dire shortage of furniture. Many lie on their bellies to write, while others make do with improvised blocks and stones as seats. The situation is particularly dire in the northern regions of Ghana, where ratios surpass the already alarming national average.
In Gushegu Municipality, Northern Region, over sixty percent of schools face a deficit in furniture, leaving primary school children to cram onto dual desks or sit on the floor during lessons. At the Junior High level, conditions are even worse, with teachers lamenting the frustration and disruption to academic work.
Mahama Hafiz, Headteacher of Maazijung M/A Primary School, highlights the dire consequences of the furniture shortage: “My school has over 768 children, but our furniture is only 40 in number, and some are broken. The majority of the children sit on the floor, leading to discomfort and discouragement from attending school. Parents cannot afford to provide furniture, leaving us to struggle with the situation.”
The lack of adequate furniture not only affects the physical comfort of students but also undermines the quality of teaching and learning. Urgent action is needed to address this crisis and ensure that every child in Ghana has access to a conducive learning environment.