The Ho Municipal Assembly has donated 1,608 pieces of furniture to schools in the municipality to improve teaching and learning conditions.

The consignment, presented to the Ho Municipal Education Directorate, comprised 958 dual desks, 400 mono desks, 100 teachers’ tables and 150 chairs.

The presentation was led by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Stephen Adom, with the support of the Ho Central Member of Parliament, Edem Kofi Kpotosu, Coordinating Director Henry Amesimeku and other officials.

The Municipal Director of Education, Dr Esther Yeboah-Adzimah, described the donation as a major relief to schools, particularly those identified through a needs assessment as having the greatest furniture shortages.

She said inadequate and damaged furniture had become an endemic problem in many schools across the municipality.

“Sometimes, when the children come to school, their uniforms get torn by hanging nails on some of the damaged furniture,” she said, adding that the poor condition of some furniture also made pupils uncomfortable during lessons.

Dr Yeboah-Adzimah said inadequate furniture had, in some cases, affected the conduct of examinations, with some schools forced to organise examinations in batches because there were not enough desks for all candidates to write at the same time.

She said such arrangements could create opportunities for examination questions to leak, while the poor design and condition of some old furniture could also make it easier for pupils to copy from one another during class exercises.

The MCE said the donation formed part of the Assembly’s commitment to improving educational infrastructure and ensuring that teachers and pupils worked in dignified conditions.

He noted that while attention was often focused on providing furniture for pupils, the needs of teachers were sometimes overlooked.

“Sometimes we provide furniture for our learners, but we forget those who are teaching them,” he said, noting that some teachers were still using uncomfortable chairs.

He said the Assembly had therefore decided to provide comfortable chairs for teachers and pledged that the initiative would eventually cover all schools in the municipality.

Adom said the current consignment was only the beginning, adding that the Assembly intended to extend the provision of furniture to schools and the Municipal Education Directorate over the next three years.

He also urged teachers to be more committed to their professional duties, saying improvements in the physical learning environment should be matched by dedication and effective teaching.

He disclosed that a committee set up to assess teacher attendance had conducted surprise visits to schools and found several teachers absent.

According to him, the committee’s report would be considered for implementation, warning that the Assembly would be strict in ensuring that teachers fulfilled their responsibilities.

The MCE said the new furniture was made with more durable materials than some of the old wooden furniture, with parts incorporating galvanised iron.

Receiving the items on behalf of the Directorate, Dr Yeboah-Adzimah expressed appreciation to the Assembly for its continued investment in education and assured stakeholders that the furniture would be distributed equitably based on the needs assessment.

She said schools with the greatest shortages would receive the furniture first, before other schools, and expressed hope that subsequent batches would ensure that every school in the municipality benefited.

Dr Yeboah-Adzimah said the provision of furniture would not only improve the learning environment but also reduce the financial burden on Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), which often contributed money to provide basic resources for schools.

She added that the items would be embossed and schools would be given guidelines on their use, including a directive that desks and chairs should be lifted rather than dragged across classroom floors to prolong their lifespan.

She also called for classrooms to be properly secured to prevent theft, particularly as some schools had experienced burglaries involving the theft of cables and other valuable items.

According to her, schools would be encouraged to use the maintenance component of the capitation grant to repair damaged furniture rather than waiting for the Assembly or the Education Directorate to intervene.

Dr Yeboah-Adzimah, however, appealed to the MCE and the MP to include Kindergarten pupils in the next phase of the furniture distribution, stressing that the foundational years of education also required adequate investment and quality learning facilities.

The Ho Central MP, Edem Kofi Kpotosu, called for equitable distribution of the furniture to ensure that no community or school was left behind.

He also urged school authorities, teachers and pupils to develop a strong maintenance culture to prolong the lifespan of the items and ensure that the municipality obtained value from its investment.

Kpotosu assured stakeholders that additional furniture and infrastructure support would be provided in the near future.