To eliminate the desk deficit in public basic schools and provide learning desks for approximately 2.3 million pupils in primary and junior high school (JHS) levels across the country, the government would need an estimated GH¢330 million, according to a report by the education think tank, Eduwatch.
The study, titled “Scoping study on the impact of desk deficits in public basic schools,” disclosed that 80 percent of pupils in the northeastern region alone had to resort to writing on their bellies or the bare floor due to the shortage of desks.
The report attributed the desk deficit to the Pre-tertiary Education Act, which mandated district assemblies to provide infrastructure to public basic schools without the necessary financial capacity.
Divine Kpe, Senior Programmes Officer at Eduwatch, stressed that addressing the backlog would require GH¢330 million.
At the current investment rate of GH¢18 million per year, it would take approximately 18 years to clear the deficit. Additionally, an annual investment of GH¢19 million is needed to provide 54,800 desks for the growing number of pupils.
Key drivers of the desk deficit were identified as resource and deficit issues, evidenced by the awarding of new school building contracts without including desk provision.
Delays in securing funds for desks often led to community pressure for schools to become operational.
The study also noted that GETFUND, the primary revenue source for educational infrastructure, did not fully allocate funds to top infrastructure projects and exhibited a lack of gender responsiveness in budget allocations from 2021 to 2023.
The study recommended allocating 70 percent of GETFUND to infrastructure, prioritizing infrastructure at the basic education level, and adopting a policy to ensure that no basic school infrastructure contract is awarded without the full inclusion of school furniture, including desks and chairs.
Eduwatch initiated the study in 2021 with support from the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCDO) and Star Ghana Foundation, aiming to explore innovative ways to address the impact of desk deficits in public basic schools.