In some classrooms in rural Ghana, the floor is the desk. The ground is the notebook and by the end of the day, uniforms are caked in dust and torn from hours of rubbing against bare concrete.
It has been the reality for thousands of pupils in Wa East, one of the poorest districts in the Upper West Region. But that’s starting to change.
The narrative is however beginning to change following the donation of two thousand dual and mono desks by the Wa East Member of Parliament, Dr. Godred Seidu Jassaw to schools in the district.
According to JoyNews Upper West regional correspondent reports from Manwe in the Wa east district, for years, inadequate school structures and a chronic lack of furniture have made teaching in Wa East a daily struggle.
Children sit cross-legged on the floor during lessons, balancing books on their laps or writing directly on the ground. The cost goes beyond discomfort. Uniforms tear faster. Writing suffers. Concentration breaks.
Teachers spend as much time managing discomfort as they do teaching math and English.
Wa East Director of Education, Yahaya Mumuni Abdul Rahman Seinu, lamented about the situation.
Wa East Member of Parliament, Dr. Godfred Seidu Jassaw, knew the problem was not new, so he started with what was available: the District Assembly Common Fund.
A portion of the fund was used to procure 1,000 study desks for 27 schools across the district. He credited the Wa East Assembly and District Chief Executive for making it happen.
However, one round of desks were not enough.
He went further, using more of the fund and tapping support from development partners like Plan Ghana to close the gap.
He provided over 250 mono and dual desks whilst Plan Ghana doled out over 950 desks.
Wa East DCE Adamu Shayibu praised the MP’s initiative and had one request for the community: maintain the desks.
The gesture drew gratitude from traditional authorities too.
Speaking on behalf of the Paramount Chief of Manwe, Naa Alhaji Yussif Wie, Kilanjong Naa Adama Salia thanked the MP, the DCE, and Plan Ghana.
A desk might seem like a small thing, but in Wa East, it is the difference between a child spending the day distracted and dirty, and a child sitting upright, focused, ready to learn.
The district still has a long way to go. Many schools still lack proper structures. But for 27 schools and counting, the floor is no longer the classroom. And for pupils who’ve spent years learning from the ground up, that shift matters.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com