The Member of Parliament for the Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfro Constituency in the GreaterAccraRegion, Felix Akwetey Okle, on Wednesday, Jan. 21, was joined by the Ga South Municipal Chief Executive, Moses Kabu Kubi Ocansey, and constituency executives of the National Democratic Congress to donate 2,940 sets of tables and chairs to two senior high schools in the municipality, a move aimed at improving teaching and learning conditions.
The beneficiary schools were Ngleshie Amanfro Senior High School (NASEC) and Christian Methodist Senior High School. NASEC received 1,740 tables and 1,740 chairs, while Christian Methodist Senior High School was given 1,200 tables and 1,200 chairs. In addition to the furniture, NASEC also received about 20 desktop computers, a printer and a projector to support teaching and learning.
The donation comes at a time when many public senior high schools in the area are grappling with acute furniture shortages, a challenge that has affected classroom comfort, teaching effectiveness and examination arrangements.
Speaking during the presentation, Hon.Okle said the intervention was driven by the belief that quality education cannot be achieved without a conducive learning environment.
“Learning is very important, but it is also tedious,” the MP said. “If you don’t get a good place to sit and occupy yourself, learning becomes very difficult. We cannot talk about a good learning environment without good chairs and tables.”
He said an assessment conducted by his office revealed that lack of furniture was one of the most pressing needs in schools across the constituency. The donation, he explained, also aligns with President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to eliminating the double-track system at the senior high school level. “Without chairs and tables, how can we curb the double-track system?” Okle asked. “This is an initiative to make sure the double-track system becomes a thing of the past.”
“These things cost a lot of money,” he said. “It is not the MP or the MCE who will use them. It is the students. So they must take good care of them.” The MP emphasized.
At NASEC, the donation was met with excitement from both students, parents and school authorities. Seth Dzukey, the head prefect of the school, described the intervention as timely and transformative.
“For some years, we have struggled with furniture,” Dzukey said. “During examinations, we suffer a lot. Sometimes teachers are ready to teach, but students complain that there are no desks.”
He said the new furniture would ensure that every student has a desk, helping to improve concentration, motivation and academic performance.
“With this donation, each student will receive one set of desk and chair,” Dzukey said. “This will help us study hard and also motivate teachers to teach effectively. On behalf of my fellow students, I say a very big thank you to the MP.”
The headmaster of NASEC, Clement Korblah Apetu, said the donation marked a major milestone for the school, particularly in its efforts to return to a single-track system.
“Today has been a very great day for us,” Apetu said. “Receiving 1,740 tables and chairs, computers, a printer and a projector is going to help us go back to the single-track system and ensure that every student sits comfortably to learn.”
He said the school has already put measures in place to protect the furniture, describing it as expensive and difficult to replace.
“We are going to assign the tables and chairs to students one-on-one, with identification numbers attached,” Apetu said. “When you complete school, you are expected to return the table. If you don’t, your parents will have to replace it.”
He thanked the president, the Ministry of Education, the MP, the MCE and education directors at various levels for supporting the school, while expressing hope for additional support in the future.
Okle, in an interview, urged students to see themselves as key custodians of the furniture, stressing that maintenance culture was critical to sustaining such interventions.
He added that proper maintenance would not only prolong the lifespan of the furniture but also save the state resources for other development projects. He hinted that good stewardship could encourage further support, including textbooks and exercise books.
“If they take good care of this, it will motivate us to bring more,” he said.
At Christian Methodist Senior High School, Headmaster Raymond Kwabla Sedzro said the donation had lifted a major burden from the school.
“One of our biggest headaches, the lack of furniture, is today a thing of the past,” Sedzro said. “We are grateful to the government, the MP and the MCE for this support.”
He appealed for further assistance through projects such as a GETFund-supported science block, a boys’ hostel, a football field and an assembly hall. Sedzro said the school, like NASEC, would assign the furniture to students individually to ensure accountability.
Municipal Chief Executive Ocansey said the donation reflects the assembly’s broader commitment to improving education infrastructure in collaboration with the MP.
He said education remains a priority for the Ga South Municipal Assembly and pledged continued support to schools across the municipality.
For students in both schools, the donation represents more than furniture; it signals renewed attention to their learning conditions and a step toward a more comfortable and effective educational environment.
By Kingsley Asiedu
