Journalist with JoySports’ Muftawu Nabila Abdulai says the current state of basic education in Ghana is appalling and needs urgent attention, not only on the part of government, but on the part of private actors as well.

He said this when he made a donation to Duu Basic School after soliciting funds and support from various donors including former Black Stars coach, Kwasi Appiah, and other prominent personalities including Andy Dosty and Mamavi Owusu Aboagye.

Speaking on Joy Learning’s EduNews InFocus segment, he disclosed that in his bid to secure some relief including furniture and proper infrastructure for his alma mata, Duu Basic School in the North East region, he came to the unsettling realisation of the adverse conditions of several basic schools in Ghana.

“I am glad that we are having this conversation on an educational channel”, he said, “When I began this journey about a month or two ago, it gave me an idea about the struggles of education in this country, especially basic education. It is a massive problem that needs national attention.

“I had calls from the Ashanti region, I had calls from Volta region, I had calls from Central region, and from many, many other parts of the country. When they send you the pictures and you take a look at them, you will pity these kids,” he lamented.

He further bemoaned the egregious conditions under which some of these pupils were forced to learn; for example, a dearth of furniture which had compelled some of these students to sit on the floor during lessons, and inadequate infrastructure which had left them at the mercy of harsh weather conditions.

Having been personally subject to these conditions in the course of his education at Duu Basic School, Muftawu was better poised to comprehend what these kids have now come to envision as their reality.  

“Life in Duu Basic School was quite humbling. It is in one of the remotest areas in Ghana. It is a village that is, in fact, we had electricity just about 6 or 7 years ago.

"That clearly tells you that we grew up with lanterns. In fact, the first time I saw electricity, I think you had to go about four communities away. So the first time I saw electricity was when I went to Wulugu, when we had gone for an inter-school football competition. So I grew up in an area where we were deprived of many things," he recounted.

He recounted how he had to endure so many hardships in order to earn his spot in the workforce.

Therefore, seeing as after over 20 years the same problems still persisted for the school, he felt indubitably compelled to take action. It was then that he came to the shocking realization that the state of basic education in Ghana was truly a national issue, and not just a problem that only affected Duu.  

“The struggle of basic education in Ghana is a massive problem that really needs national attention. You are wondering, if after 67 years of independence as a country, there are still children who, by no crime of theirs, have to endure these unhealthy conditions just to seek education, like I went through some 20 years ago, then we are doing these kids a great disservice. It is very disheartening and heart-wrenching”, he lamented.

The journalist said this was a clarion call on the government to pay due attention to the situation and to effectively resolve the harrowing issues that the nation’s basic schools faced.

He further implored private individuals and organizations who were closer to the situation to also contribute their quota.