Teachers at a cluster of schools in Sege, the capital of the Ada West District, have threatened to boycott teaching activities if a community refuse skip container situated in the heart of the schools is not relocated.
They said the container’s presence near the school compound could lead to health risks, including contamination of foods and water that the school population consumes.
The skip is container currently located on the compound of the Sege Community Junior High School (J.H.S.) Nos. 1 and 2 and Sege Presby Primary School.
The staff of schools revealed this when Doxazo Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, paid a visit to the school to identify and support the less privileged pupils of these three institutions.
- Emmanuel Sabbah, the Headmaster of Sege Presby No. 2, said the teachers were considering leaving the school if authorities failed to relocate the container.
He described the situation as a severe public health hazard, especially as Ghana was currently battling a cholera outbreak in various communities.
“The presence of the waste container near these schools is endangering the health of students and teachers alike,” he emphasised.
He stated that several appeals have already been made to the relevant authorities, but no action had yet been taken, and that multiple attempts to seek intervention from Mr Ernest Kugblenu, the Assembly Member for the Sege/Koni Electoral Area, had yielded no results.
When contacted, Mr Kugblenu blamed the previous administration of the District Assembly for the inadequate support, despite several reports and letters written to draw the assembly’s attention.
He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that he was hoping for the new District Chief Executive (DCE), who was yet to be appointed, to address the issue in addition to many other sanitation issues as early as possible when nominated and confirmed.
He also assured the school authorities that he would ensure the temporal relocation of the container to ensure sanity in the school’s premises.
The GNA observed that refuse was being dumped indiscriminately around the container even though it was not full at the time of visit.
Source: GNA
