Government supplies furniture to second-cycle schools

The government, through the Ministry of Education, has procured 54,445 bunk beds, 108,890 mattresses and 36,240 staff common-room chairs for distribution to schools across the country.
The procured beds, mattresses and staff chairs will be distributed to bump up the furniture supplies in the various Secondary, Technical, Vocational and Agricultural schools.

Beneficiary schools include Ejisuman SHS, Achinakrom SHS, Sakafia Islamic SHS, Oppong Memorial SHS, Gyaama Pensan SHTS, Dadease Agric SHS, Bechem Presby SHS, Odomaseman SHS, Bole SHS, Walewale SHS, Bawku SHTS, Sandema SHTS, Three Town SHS, Aveyime-Battor SHS, Vakpo SHS, Have Technical Institute, Half Assini SHS, among others.

A statement from the Free Senior High School Secretariat said, additionally, procurement activities have started for the distribution of 214,050 mono desks and it is expected to be completed by January 2020.

“The choice of using metals instead of wood for the beds in recent times is a way to fight bedbug infestations in our second cycle schools. beyond this, the Ministry embarks on routine fumigation in our schools to fight the bedbug menace,” the statement added.

In 2018, the Ministry procured and distributed 96,413 mono desks, 32,171 dining hall tables and chairs, 12,953 bunk beds, 3,038 staff tables and chairs, white marker boards, science lab stools and other accessories to schools nationwide.
The government since the implementation of the Free SHS program, is said to have started the construction of over 804 facilities in 669 second-cycle schools to expand facilities in the various senior high schools.

The projects, according to government, are at various levels of completion.

Some of these projects, according to the Free SHS Secretariat have since been completed and handed over to their respective schools.

“Schools with completed projects include; Bawku Secondary Technical (Upper East Region) – Girls’ Dormitory Block, Adanwomase SHS – 12-Unit classroom block, St Thomas Aquinas SHS – 12-Unit Classroom Block, Kumasi Anglican SHS – 12 Unit Classroom Block and Juaben SHS – Dormitory Block,” the statement added.

The government, in addition to the 804 new projects, is said to have released funds for the completion of all old GETFund projects in the various schools.

Since the implementation of this flagship program, the government has received a lot of backlash from sections of the public and media over reported cases of congestion and inadequate supply of furniture in some Senior High Schools.

The government has subsequently put in place measures to mitigate the challenges that confronted the implementation of the program.