…On public school furniture crisis
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South and Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Education Committee, has commended former President John Dramani Mahama, for addressing the worsening furniture crisis in public basic schools and calling out Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, for his failure to deliver on earlier promises.
Dr Clement Apaak, recalled that during the 2016 election campaign, as the running mate to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Dr Bawumia, visited Kperisi Primary School in the Upper West Region, where students were forced to sit on the floor to learn due to a lack of furniture.
News clips and images from the visit, showed Dr Bawumia, dressed in white, squatting to interact with the pupils sitting on the floor.
Following the visit, Dr Bawumia granted interviews to the media, during which he pledged to donate furniture to the school.
He also pointed out that, the problem was widespread and took the opportunity to criticize the then-NDC government for its inaction in addressing the issue.
“Guess what, eight years later, with Dr. Bawumia now Vice President and the NPP’s flagbearer, the furniture situation in our public basic schools has worsened, not improved,” Dr Apaak noted in an article he sent to The Herald, yesterday.
He cited a report from Africa Education Watch, which revealed that over 1.3 million pupils in public basic schools currently lack access to adequate furniture.
Dr Apaak, contrasted this with John Mahama’s plan, as outlined in the 2024 NDC manifesto, to tackle the acute furniture deficit.
The manifesto promises, a “Furniture for All Initiative,” which will partner with local carpentry and furniture industries to address the issue at the basic school level.
“Unlike Dr Bawumia, who has no clear plan—there is no mention of this in the NPP’s 2024 manifesto—John Mahama has a concrete solution. The alternative is the only option. Let’s rescue and reset Ghana by voting for JDM and the NDC,” he urged.
