Bolgatanga, April 18, GNA – Afrikids Ghana, a Child Rights Organization, has procured and presented 400 metal dual desks to poor rural basic schools in the Upper East Region to aid effective academic work and improve performance.
The desks would be distributed to 20 poor rural schools in four districts in the region, the Bongo, Nabdam, Builsa North and Builsa South Districts to help solve the furniture deficits and create a conducive learning environment to improve academic performance.
Also, Afrikids Ghana has handed over hygienic materials, including Veronica buckets, alcoholic based hand sanitizers, and soap to 80 rural poor schools within the four districts to help fight the spread of the novel coronavirus disease especially when schools resume.
The items, worth GHc68,000.00, is part of the three-year Afrikids Dynamic Approach to School Improvement (DASI) project being implemented in 80 rural poor basic schools in the four districts with funding support from the Department for International Development (DFID), United Kingdom.
At a short ceremony to hand over the materials to the various District Directors of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in Bolgatanga, Mr Nicholas Kumah, the Country Director, Afrikids Ghana, explained that a block to block study was conducted to ascertain the pressing needs of the various basic schools in the operation area and it was revealed that furniture deficit was a major challenge hindering effective teaching and learning.
Apart from the fact that most of the basic schools in the region had poor infrastructure and other teaching and learning materials, furniture and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities were major setbacks and had over the years led to poor academic performance especially at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), the Country Director noted.
“Recently, the project in partnership with the GES undertook block monitoring of schools. It was realized during this exercise that there is an acute shortage of furniture in the schools compelling many children to lie on their stomachs while some made use of blocks as their tables to learn,” he added.
The Country Director expressed optimism that the support would go a long way to improve teaching and learning outcomes especially in the beneficiary schools and appealed to other organizations to support the schools in the region to attain the quality education and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr Cletus Anaaya, the Project Manager, DASI, explained that the main goal of the project was to improve pupils’ proficiency in basic schools in the four districts through increased access to inclusive, equitable and quality basic education.
“It is important to state that the project aims at concentrating on intensively improving the quality of education, efficiency, and the effectiveness of teachers and schools so that children leave school with the essential building blocks to be able to thrive in education and work,” the Project Manager added.
Apart from the practical learning materials that AfriKids Ghana had given to the 80 poor rural basic schools, it has been working with management of various schools to strengthen governance, he said.
Mr Madison Mokase, the Bongo District Director, GES, who received the support on behalf of his colleagues, expressed gratitude to Afrikids Ghana and its partners for the support over the years especially in the area of improving quality education.
He appealed to Afrikids Ghana and other development organisations to assist the various schools to address other academic needs of the pupils.
GNA