The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has lauded the leaders of the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA) Sanitation and Water Project (SWP), for delivering on time fit-for purpose sanitary and hygiene facilities to bolster institutional and household activities.
He said the team’s commitment and efforts had improved environmental sanitation, ensured conducive learning environment and decreased absenteeism of adolescent girls, especially in the school settings.
The Asantehene who was represented by Nana Kusi Ababio, Oyokohene during the commissioning of two 12-seater toilet facilities at Osei Kyeretwie Senior High School (OKESS) in Kumasi, said “To get access to a toilet like this, even though is a right for every student, is also a privilege since hundreds of thousands of other students still do not have one.”
“We are all witnesses to the struggles that several students go through daily on various campuses, including some university campuses, just to find a suitable place in the bush or elsewhere to defecate before or during classes.
Getting access to facilities like this contributes to making learning and life easier for students.
When I inspected the facility, I noticed how beautiful and clean it looks,” Nana Ababio noted.
He commended the Project for also considering persons with disabilities in the design of the facilities, making them accessible for such persons, as well as the provision of changing room for menstruating girls, water supply, storage and hand washing facilities among others.
Nana Ababio pointed out that OKESS with over 5,000 student population needed such facilities to ease the burden on the few toilet facilities on campus.
He believed it would go a long way to prevent communicable diseases, improve environmental sanitation and foster a serene learning atmosphere.
Mr George Asiedu, the Coordinator GAMA and GKMA SWP, said the objective was to prioritise water, sanitation and hygiene in complementing the government’s efforts towards the attainment of the sustainable development goal (SDG) Six.
He explained that environmental hygiene was key to human sustenance, which was why the GKMA SWP had built over 30,000 household toilets and 140 institutional toilets within Greater Kumasi.
He explained that the Sanitation and Water Project in Accra and Kumasi have not only enhanced infrastructure but also fostered sustainable practices while addressing specific sanitation and hygiene needs within the institutions.
Mr Michael Mensah, the Headmaster of Osei Kyeretwie Senior High School, thanked the Ministry of Sanitation, Water and Resources and World Bank for spearheading the project.
He promised that the school would maintain the facility to serve its purpose.
GNA