It is a known fact that most educational institutions in Ghana have water problems ranging from acute water shortages to inadequate water facilities on campuses. Educational institutions across the country especially the second cycle and tertiary institutions face such problems. Even though governments over the years have put in place some measures to supply water to students, it is not enough because the population of students is increasing, thereby putting pressure on facilities that supply water to these institutions. This sometimes creates water crisis in these institutions as students spend their time trying to access portable water for their daily use instead of studying. A report by Modernghana news in February of last year touched on the plight of students at Kpandai Secondary School who spent hours walking to fetch water from wells in nearby communities because there was no running water in the school. To make matters worse the water from these wells were not clean leading to some of these students getting sick for drinking this water. The importance of clean water in the life of a student cannot be underestimated. Clean water is used for preparation of food for students in college dorms. So if clean water is not readily available, cooks tend to use available water from wells, which are in most cases unclean and unsafe for human consumption. There have been cases of food poisoning in some schools because of the use of unclean water for the preparation of food for students. On April 1, 2019, the headmistress of Arcbishop Porter Girls High School in the Western Region of Ghana suspended the sale of food at the school premises after some students were rushed to the hospital due to suspected food poisoning. The suspected cause been the use of unsafe water to prepare the food.
Consequently, in boarding houses, student’s bathe, wash, and clean lavatories. All these activities require clean safe water. If students are deprived of constant water flow, they would have to queue for hours to get water to be able to take their baths and prepare for their days and this affects learning because in such situations students end up coming to class very late and they always lag behind in class. These are just a few of the struggles faced by students in Ghana and countries in Sub Saharan Africa. These are not the type of conditions that students should be subjected to. These conditions should not be permanent and we can do our very best to make this happen. Help in the fight to provide everyone with clean and potable water at Global Water Promise. Access to clean water means education and good health.
Joshua Apalbilah is Global Water Promise's Social Media and Content Blogger.
Kojo Keelson is the Executive Director for Global Water Promise.
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