In the Ahanta West Municipality, a troubling situation is unfolding at Agona M/A Junior High School, popularly known as Agona School “A”, where the absence of basic sanitation facilities is disrupting teaching and learning.
Students are compelled to leave school during instructional hours to return home simply to attend to nature’s call due to the lack of usable toilet facilities. This challenge often results in the loss of valuable learning time and continues to affect academic performance.
The situation is particularly distressing for female students, who face serious hygiene challenges, especially during their menstrual periods. In addition to the sanitation problem, the school is also grappling with inadequate access to clean water.
A visit to Agona M/A JHS revealed that despite the school’s commendable performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), it lacks essential amenities. The only toilet facility, constructed in 2002, is now in a deplorable state and has been abandoned by students due to its condition.
These challenges are undermining Ghana’s efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 6, which focus on quality education and access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
Female students noted that during their menstrual cycles, the absence of a private and hygienic space to change leads some of them to stay away from school entirely, affecting their academic progress. The Male students, on the other hand, are sometimes compelled to use nearby bushes, exposing them to dangers such as snake bites.
“Some of us go home to ease ourselves because the toilet here is in a bad state. When we are menstruating, it becomes very uncomfortable because we don’t have a place to change. Those who go home and live far away often don’t return to school and end up missing lessons,” the students revealed.
Meanwhile, the PTA Chairman, Anthony Eshun says though efforts have been initiated at the PTA level to provide the school with an ultra-modern toilet facility, the cost of the project is beyond their financial capacity.
“The amount involved is huge. We are therefore appealing for support,” he said.
The Headmaster of Agona M/A JHS, Lawrence K. B. Tawiah, who believes a modern toilet facility with a reliable water supply would significantly improve the learning environment is appealing to benevolent individuals, corporate organizations and other stakeholders to come to the aid of the school by constructing an ultra-modern toilet facility to restore dignity, safety and effective learning for the students.
There is good news on the horizon as the Municipal Chief Executive for Ahanta West, Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Aidoo, says the Assembly is utilizing common fund resources to renovate selected schools across the municipality and Agona M/A JHS has been captured for attention.
He says the Assembly has also appealed to companies operating within Ahanta West to support the development of educational infrastructure.
By: Portia Cudjoe
