Public basic schools lack disability-friendly washrooms

Accra, June 12, GNA –Many public basic schools in Accra have no washrooms, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) has observed.

Those with washrooms have them in an awfully bad state and also not disable-friendly.

At the Liberty Mantse or Farisco Cluster of School, toilet facilities were available but not disability friendly.

An official of the School, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said some prominent persons in government who attended the school, had pledged to extend a helping hand to give the institution a facelift in the next few months, and hoped that they would offer help as promised.

The Calvary Methodist Basic Cluster of Schools, Adabraka, also had toilet facilities, but lacked an entire water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facility.

“We are not under the Government’s WASH project at all. We have toilet and hand washing facilities but lack changing rooms for the female learners who need it sometimes when in their periods. This is really challenging for them and we appeal that we are considered in that regard,” a lady who said she was afraid to talk, said.

An authority at the Osu Salem Primary School, told the GNA that the School had a toilet facility, though not in a good state.

She said learners were managing it with the hand washing stations they had, adding: “Our toilet facilities are, however, not disability friendly because we don’t have any disability in this school at the moment. But should we get one now, the school will not be convenient for that learner at all.”

She said the school was also in dire need of water to fill its storage tank, as it was not connected to the public water lines.

“The lack of access to water is a problem we are facing right now in this school and that makes it quite challenging to maintain our WASH facility here well,” she said.

GNA