Provision of clean school environment: A major ingredient for national development

THERE IS no denying the fact that educated and healthy human resource is a key requirement for national development and schools play a pioneering role in that regard.

Therefore, proper state of schools should remain a vital concern to countries seeking to come out from the shackles of underdevelopment.

Unfortunately, conditions in the schools of Ghana, a 65-year-old sovereign nation, still wallowing in the net of underdevelopment leaves much to be desired, particularly, in the public schools.

The presence of decent toilets, urinals and potable water facilities is still a dire challenge in many schools.

Dilapidated structures, logistical deficits and bushy environments are the unfortunate picturesque view of most of our schools.

According to information from UNICEF and Ghana Statistical Service, only two (2) out of five (5) schools in Ghana have toilet or pit latrines and running water.

Interestingly, there are 18,530, 8,850 and 900 public primary, Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS) respectively in the country.

Impliedly, thousands of public schools in the country are without toilet or pit latrine and water facilities.

Even those who have it, do not have it adequately and are also not in good shape.

A situation which forces students to miss classes because they are made to alternate the usage of the facilities to the detriment of their academic wellbeing.

Bizarrely, some students and teachers are compelled to patronise commercial toilet facilities near their reach which are not free.

In view of the above, open defecation which is a major contributor to diseases, is a common practice in many schools.

It is against this backdrop that the coming on board of the Africa Schools Sanitation Foundation is refreshing news.

Africa Schools Sanitation Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), an apolitical and non-aligned religious body aimed at mobilising resources to build, renovate toilet facilities and provide a befitting general school environment in public schools in Africa with special emphasis on Ghana.

The founder of the foundation, Mr Osei Tutu, a renowned Ghanaian broadcaster, says his outfit is dedicated to providing a decent school environment for public schools in Africa, particularly, Ghana.

He explained that his entity seeks to mobilise community, individual and business based resources to achieve the set objective.

To him, successive governments have proven that they alone cannot solve the problems confronting Ghanaians.

Therefore, it is imperative for the citizenry to get involved in the developmental drive by revisiting the spirit of communal labour and mobilisation for a common good.

He intimated that providing a decent school environment, particularly, befitting toilet and urinal facilities, is a step in the right direction.

“This is so because the provision of the aforementioned will eradicate diseases from our schools to safeguard the health needs of students and teachers.”

Decrying the current state of sanitation in schools, Mr Tutu, revealed that research conducted by Water Aid in 2013 indicates that a whopping 1.5 million school children are killed each year in sub-Sahara Africa due to unsanitary conditions in our schools.

He therefore, called on individuals, communities and business to partner with his outfit and adopt at least a school in their respective areas for massive facelift exercise.

The founder disclosed that currently, the foundation through the benevolence of some persons has constructed and renovated toilet facilities in four schools across the country.