Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, Member of Parliament for Builsa South Constituency, Upper East Region, has commended former President John Dramani Mahama for addressing the critical shortage of desks and furniture in schools across the Upper West Region.
Mahama’s recent remarks highlight the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s, failure to tackle the issue, despite his prior attention to it while in opposition.
Mahama, speaking at a public event, recalled Bawumia’s frequent visits to the Upper West Region during his time as the running mate to President Nana Akufo-Addo. At the time, Bawumia had drawn attention to the lack of furniture in schools, often photographing children sitting on stones and criticizing the then National Democratic Congress (NDC) government for its shortcomings in addressing the problem.
“Today, 1.3 million basic school children have no furniture,” Mahama pointed out. “During the NDC’s time, Bawumia would visit and donate furniture to schools. But now, as Vice President and overseer of the national budget, he could simply allocate funds to provide these children with the furniture they need.”
Hon. Apaak echoed Mahama’s sentiments, recalling Bawumia’s 2016 visit to Kperisi Primary School in the Upper West Region. Bawumia had famously squatted beside children sitting on the floor to learn, pledging to donate furniture and using the incident to criticize the NDC for its failures. “Guess what, eight years down the line, with him as Vice President, the furniture situation has worsened,” Apaak remarked, citing a report from Africa Education Watch that over 1.3 million pupils in public basic schools now lack access to furniture.
Apaak further noted that while the 2024 New Patriotic Party (NPP) manifesto contains no clear plan to address the crisis, Mahama and the NDC have committed to launching a ‘Furniture for All Initiative,’ aimed at solving the deficit through a partnership with local carpenters and furniture makers.
In his post, Apaak urged Ghanaians to vote for change in the upcoming 2024 elections, stating that Mahama and the NDC offer the only viable solution to address the current education crisis. “Vote for Change. Vote for JDM/NDC. The alternative is the only option. Let’s rescue and reset Ghana,” Apaak concluded.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
