For some years now, some pupils and teachers in basic schools in the Upper East Region did not receive any teaching and learning materials from the government.

The situation led to a decline in performances of pupils in the affected schools, according to some of the headmasters.

“We have been using old textbooks for the past seven years and because of that, the teachers always write everything including notes and reading passages on the board for the children to copy.

"The 70 minutes allocated for double periods will definitely not be well-utilised as expected so it is affecting the performance of the students”, said Amadu Karim, the headmaster of the Manga Junior High School in the Bawku Municipality.

He said the situation also caused a lot of stress for teachers because they have had to go the extra mile to improvise for their classroom lessons, due to the peculiar nature of the problem.

The headmaster made the revelations when Sung Bie’la Foundation Ghana [SBF-Gh], a not-for-profit organisation donated teaching and learning materials to his school.

Seven other schools in the Binduri and Bawku West Districts as well in the Bawku Municipality which were burdened with similar challenges, also received education materials from the organization.

At some of the schools, worrying developments came to light when journalists covering the donation ceremony made enquiries.

Besides the lack of teaching and learning materials, problems such as inadequate furniture and poor infrastructure were discovered at some of the schools. 

At the Binduri Junior High School A and B in the Binduri district, the Headmaster, Joseph Abugre said he could not even remember the last time the school received any textbooks.

He also complained about inadequate furniture in the school which was affecting the academic performance of the pupils.

“I cannot remember the last time they supplied my school with textbooks and it is making teaching and learning difficult because we can’t write everything on the board for the students to copy [as notes] and that is affecting their performances.”

 Other Schools including the Kpeliwega JHS, Zabugu JHS, Azariya JHS, Buabula Primary and JHS, Asobelaga Primary School, and Watania JHS had similar challenges – the reason Sung Bie’la Foundation Ghana selected them to receive the donations.

The items donated to the schools included mathematical sets, textbooks, pens, pencils, exercise books, erasers and compiled past questions & answers booklets.

Founder and Executive Director of Sung Bie’la Foundation Ghana, Hajia Zenabu Awinbe Salifu said she was motivated to mobilize funds to support these schools because she is a native of Bawku and was aware of the difficulties school children there had to face.

She recounted her plight as an orphaned child, trying to acquire basic education at the Manga JHS and hoped that her gesture would help make education easier for the young children. 

“I used to walk about 6km to and from school every day and never had the chance to get textbooks. I remember when I was to sit for the BECE, someone had to support me with a math set because my mum couldn’t have afforded to buy me one. So, all these things motivated me to come back and motivate the children to study”, Zenabu said.

She said Sung Bie’la Foundation Ghana will further support at least 20 students from her Alma matter who perform well in the next Basic Education Certificate Examination, to further their education to the Senior High School level.

“The target is those who are able to score aggregate 10 to 15. Even though SHS is free, the students will need things like shoes, chop boxes, and other things. This year, for instance, we have sponsored two less privileged students from Zabugu who are reading science at the Bolgatanga Senior High School. The foundation has also supported 3 visually-impaired students from Bawku who are currently studying at the University of Ghana”, she said.

Sung Bie’la Foundation Ghana also educated the teenage girls at the schools they visited, on menstrual hygiene and donated sanitary pads to them with support from Lexta Ghana Limited.

Hajia Zenabu Awinbe expressed gratitude to her coworkers at the Lands Commission and the Lions Club International who supported her financially to make donations.

She is hopeful that other organizations are touched by their work, will support the foundation to do more for other children.