Sheila Bartels, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma North Constituency, has in partnership with the Nation Lotteries Authority (NLA), cut the sod for the construction of a state-of-the-art washroom facility for Wesley Grammar Senior High School in the Greater Accra Region.
The MP said the idea to construct the washroom facility was conceived when her outfit conducted a feasibility assessment to identify the immediate infrastructure needs of the school.
She said the intention to construct the washroom was due to the pressure on existing facilities in the school owing to the increasing number of enrolments due to the Free Senior High School Policy by the government.
The project, according to her, forms part of several other projects she plans to execute for the only second-cycle institution in her constituency.
“We are here to cut the sod for the commencement of a washroom project for Wesley Grammar Senior High School. The construction of the washroom was one of the needs the school expressed to me during my visit here in the past month because they have an existing facility that is insufficient for the number of students in the school.”
According to UNESCO, two out of five schools in Ghana have toilet facilities and running water owing to this challenge, children often miss class.
Amma Frimpong, Coordinator for the National Lotteries Authority Good Courses Foundation, said the project was consistent with the NLA Act, which mandates the institution to dedicate a portion of its proceeds to charity work.
She said the project originated from the authority’s Safer Water Sanitation Project, which is premised on the provision of sanitary facilities for selected communities.
She indicated that the decision to finance the project by her outfit was due to a proposal that was submitted by the MP.
The washroom, she disclosed, had some unique features, especially the provision of an office for the caretaker, a mechanised borehole, and a disability-friendly facility.
Barbara J. TT. Thompson, headmistress for the school, advocated for more projects in the schools due to the pressure on existing facilities.
GNA