The introduction of the Free Senior High School concept in 2017 has led to increased enrolment across the country.

The increased enrolment also led to increased demand for furniture, accommodation and other resources to facilitate effective teaching and learning.

It is based on this that the President Akufo-Addo-led government has since 2017 donated thousands of furniture and other resources to schools to promote effective teaching and learning at the pre-tertiary education sector.

The Press Secretary at the Education Ministry, Mr Felix A. Baidoo, who disclosed this said the government has since 2017 distributed a total of 1,155,240 pieces of furniture to Senior High and Basic Schools across the country.

He stated that out of the number 925,793 were distributed to SHS while the remaining 229,447 went to Basic Schools in the country.

Demand-driven supply

Again, he stated that the demand-driven furniture distribution, is aimed at creating enabling and conducive environment in the classrooms.

Mr Baidoo disclosed this after accompanying a team of media personnel to Benje Furniture Company Ltd at Weija in the Weija Gbawe Municipality in Accra on Friday where 5,000 dual desks were being dispatched to the Kpandai District in the North East region.

The trip to Benje Furniture Company Ltd was geared towards providing evidence that the government’s readiness to distribute furniture to schools is real and not a rhetoric.

Ongoing distribution

According to the Press Secretary, the loading of the 5,000 pieces of furniture to Kpandai District was part of 40,000 pieces of furniture being distributed to schools which have requested additional furniture across the country.

He explained that although the government desired to distribute the right quantity of furniture to schools,  that depends on the demands of schools at a particular point in time.

This, he said is to ensure that the furniture went to the right institutions or schools which need them most to avoid sending the furniture to schools which did not need them while others which needed them have not been supplied yet.

Mr Baidoo indicated the government's preparedness towards supplying the needed resources to all schools across the country towards enhancing the development of education.

Exercise restraint

He appealed to all schools yet to be supplied with furniture and other resources to exercise restraint as the right processes are being followed to ensure that all resources reached those who need them.

The Chief Executive Officer of Benje Furniture Company Ltd, praised the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, for procuring the furniture from the local market since such a move would help boost the operations of local companies.

He explained that the procurement of the furniture locally would also help empower local industries to do more towards strengthening their operations.

The CEO pledged to ensure that all the furniture would be delivered within three weeks so that the beneficiaries would be able to use it for its intended purpose.

Records

Records available at the Education Ministry indicate that a total of 65,779 pieces of furniture were supplied to Basic Schools in the country in 2018, 54,000 was supplied by District Assembly Common Fund in 2020, 69,459 in 2021 while the distribution of 40,000 to Basic Schools for this year is currently underway.

The SHSs also received 65,779 furniture in 2018, 54,000 in 2020, 69,459 in 2021 while the distribution of 40,209 for this year is ongoing.

The distribution of furniture to the schools usually comes in the form of dual desks, teacher's chairs and tables, library tables and chairs, common room tables and chairs, KG chairs, cupboards, notice board, dining hall tables, dining hall benches, computer lab chairs and bunk beds among others.