The Chairman of Parliament’s Education Committee and a Member of Parliament for Akatsi North, Peter Nortsu Kotoe, has assured heads of schools in the Volta Region that efforts are underway to address critical infrastructure, furniture and logistical challenges confronting second-cycle institutions in the region.

He said an assessment conducted by the Education Committee revealed significant infrastructure deficits in Senior High Schools across the Volta Region, particularly as a result of inadequate investment in education infrastructure.

Mr Nortsu was speaking at the Ghana Education Service (GES) Volta Regional Directorate’s Regional Education Clinic on the theme, “Resetting Education Outcomes: The Future of Volta Region Schools”.

According to the law maker, members of the Education Committee visited a number of schools in the region last year and observed infrastructure challenges which, he said, were representative of the situation in many other schools.

He stated that the findings have informed a number of interventions being undertaken to improve infrastructure in schools across the region.

“As I speak now, I am sure that some schools have received interventions and work is ongoing on their infrastructure,” he said.

Mr Nortsu, however, acknowledged that the interventions were not sufficient to meet the needs of schools, noting that many school heads continued to face serious logistical challenges in managing their institutions.

He said the government had also inherited several stalled and abandoned education projects which had accumulated over the previous eight years.

According to him, some contractors had been mobilised to project sites without completing the projects, leaving several schools without the infrastructure and facilities they required.

“We realise that over the last eight years before the NDC came into office, we had a lot of stalled or abandoned projects. Some contractors had been mobilised to sites and left without completing the projects,” he said.

He said the government was therefore working to complete the abandoned projects while also initiating new interventions to address emerging needs in schools.

Mr Nortsu further disclosed that the government was taking steps to improve transportation and logistics for school heads, particularly those who needed to travel regularly to monitor activities and manage their schools.

He said procurement processes were underway for vehicles for the current year and expressed optimism that the Volta Region would receive its fair share of the vehicles.

“I can say that, yes, the situation was very bad, especially in the last eight years. Many schools did not receive even one piece of infrastructure or even one piece of furniture,” he stated.

He, however, assured school heads and stakeholders that the situation was gradually improving with government interventions expected to provide schools in the region with their due share of infrastructure, furniture and other logistical support.

Mr Nortsu urged the school heads to remain committed to improving their educational outcomes despite the challenges, assuring them that government remained focused on resetting the education sector and creating better conditions for teaching and learning.