Committee criticises quality school furniture

Sekondi, July 23, GNA - Members of the Shama-Ahanta East Education Oversight Committee (MEDC) have expressed concern about the poor quality of school furniture supplied to schools under the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund). They said this at a meeting of the Committee at Sekondi on Tuesday following complaints received from head teachers whose schools have been supplied with some of the furniture. "The pieces of furniture were made with poor quality wood. They are not strong and get damaged few weeks after supply."

Following the complaints Members of the Committee visited some of the schools to ascertain the condition of the furniture and found to their dismay that most of them had already been damaged. The Members appealed to the Ghana Education Service to take immediate steps to get the carpenters, who are given the contract to use good quality wood to ensure that the Ghanaian taxpayers got value for money.

They suggested that the GES, if possible, should consider decentralising the production and supply of school furniture to save transportation cost and ensure strict supervision of the work of the carpenters.

The Members, however, commended the GETFund for doing a very good job but urged it to do more by ensuring that Ghanaians benefited fully from the money they contribute to the fund.

Mr. J. C. Quansah, Metropolitan Director of Education and Secretary to the Committee, said contract for the manufacture of the furniture was done in Accra without the involvement of the Regional or Metropolitan Offices of the GES. He said the furniture was presented to the Metropolitan Education Secretariat with a waybill covering it. "All that we do is to see to the distribution of the furniture."