By Charles Tawiah, GNA
Nkawie, May 05, GNA – Mr. Wisdom Osei Boamah, the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has urged teachers to prioritise sanitation education in schools to help inculcate good hygiene practices in children.
He said many insanitary conditions were the result of human behaviour and attitudes, stressing the need to begin sanitation education at the early stages of a child’s development to positively shape their mindset and habits.
Mr. Boamah made the call when he addressed teachers from seven beneficiary Basic Schools that had received modern water and sanitation facilities in the municipality.
He cited practices such as dumping refuse into gutters and water bodies, as well as maintaining unclean school environments as deliberate actions that contributed to poor sanitation.
The MCE, therefore, encouraged teachers to intensify efforts in teaching proper sanitation practices to ensure that children adopted them as a way of life.
“Children are future leaders, and it is important that we equip them with the right values, including good sanitation habits, at an early age,” he said.
The beneficiary schools include Nkawie Kufuor M/A Basic School, St Justin’s Anglican Basic “B”, Experimental Basic “A”, Toase R/C Basic School, Sepaase Basic School, Nerebehi Basic School and Abuakwa M/A Basic School “A”.
The facilities comprise 14-seater water closet toilet systems with washrooms and mechanised boreholes for both boys and girls.
The project, funded by the Municipal Assembly in collaboration with Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), an international non-governmental organisation, was executed at a total cost of GH¢31,500.
It forms part of a five-year programme (2025–2029) aimed at providing water and sanitation facilities to 54 communities in the municipality, with the initial seven communities serving as pilot areas.
Mr. Boamah commended teachers, traditional authorities, community members, and the implementing organisation for their cooperation and support towards the successful execution of the project.
He noted that additional items supplied to the schools included sanitary pads, liquid soap, hand sanitisers, kettles, and bars of soap to promote hygiene.
Mr. Samuel Owusu Adjei, the Project Manager of WSUP, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to expanding access to water and sanitation facilities across the targeted communities and institutions within the project period.
He called for sustained collaboration among stakeholders to ensure effective utilisation and maintenance of the facilities.
Mr. Richard Appau, the Headteacher of St Justin’s Anglican Primary “B” at Nkawie, expressed gratitude to the Municipal Assembly and the NGO for the intervention.
He said the lack of adequate sanitation facilities had been a major challenge for the school, aside from security concerns, which were being addressed by parents and the school’s authorities.
GNA
Edited by Yussif Ibrahim/Benjamin Mensah