Education Policy Research and Advocacy Organisation, Africa Education Watch (EDUWATCH) has made some recommendations as a solution to the desk deficit in basic schools in parts of the country.

This comes on the back of a report by Eduwatch after it embarked on a CSO-Media visit to the Gushegu municipality on 26 February 2024, to monitor the availability of desks in some public basic schools, following the distribution of 13,465 dual desks to basic schools by GETFund in 2022/23, and assess the impact on teaching and learning, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and the media.

The report indicated that: “Gushegu Municipal in the Northern region has a public school desk deficit of deficit of 17,849. 

“The municipality however received 180 dual desks from the GETFund 2022/23 supply with the highest number of desks supplied to a school being 10, with 6 schools benefitting. The least was 2, supplied to Katani M/A Primary.”

Also, “Gushegu M/A Primary Block A received 10 dual desks, and were being used by the Primary four (4) class. The class had just 15 desks for a population of 57 pupils. Gushegu M/A Junior High School (JHS) received five (5) dual desks, and were all being used by the JHS 1 class. The class had nine (9) dual and nine (9) mono desks for a population of 68 pupils.”

While at the “at the Maazijung JHS in the Kpatinnga Community, only 40 dual desks were available to a population of 315 pupils - a situation which has forced the school to run two (2) streams, with up to three pupils in JHS 2 sharing a desk. The school, however, did not receive any of the desks from the 2022/23 GETFund supply.”

Again, at the “Gushegu Demonstration Primary, Basic 2 and 3 had a population of 145 and 163 pupils using 40 desks and 30 desks respectively. Aside the obvious overcrowding, some pupils had to use the floor and the teacher’s table for writing. The school did not receive any of the desks from the 2022/23 GETFund supply.”

The report revealed that Kintampo North has a “public basic school desk deficit of 16,795 while in the Jato Akura Basic School, only 32 dual desks were available to 351 students.”

It further revealed that: “Jato Akura Basic School” had not received desks since 2018, when the longest-serving staff was posted there.” According to the findings, the desk situation in “Gushegu and Kintampo North represent the situation in many basic schools across the country, especially in rural areas, a situation caused by low investment in basic education infrastructure over the years.”

EDUWATCH therefore urged the Ministry of Education to “increase allocations for desks to basic schools to at least GHS 60 million in the 2024 GETFund formula.”

It called on the Minister of Finance to “release outstanding funds for procuring desks under the 2023 GETFund formula.”

It further called on Parliament to show interest in “the delayed disbursement of basic education funds under GETFund and demand accountability from the Minister of Finance on the slow disbursement,” while urging “local governments and the non-state sector, including faith-based organisations and private companies to support the provision of desks in public basic schools.”