Water shortage hits Koforidua SECTECH

Due to damage to the only two mechanized boreholes providing water to the Koforidua Secondary Technical School (SECTECH), there is currently a water shortage.

The school is totally dependent on the automated boreholes after Ghana Water Company Limited weaned it off water supplies years ago because of its failure to pay bills.

However, the school lacks the funds to fix the borehole pump, which broke down almost a month ago.
Hundreds of boarding students have been forced by the situation to wander through adjacent settlements including Atekyem, the Police training school, and Adweso SSNIT in search of water.

The kids claim that the situation is having an impact on their academic performance since they lose valuable teaching and learning time looking for water to take showers and wash their uniforms.
Some of the pupils have profited from the circumstance by forgoing regular baths, endangering staff hygiene.

We have many issues at the school. One is the water problem; we must leave campus to go outside to gather water for bathing and washing our clothes. The water we drink is sachet water.
The pupils lamented, “We fetch water from vast distances. When I am in the house I don’t travel that far to gather water. It is seriously harming us.”

As boarding students frequently leave school under the guise of looking for water in the town, the water stress scenario has also led to an unruly environment on campus.
While repairs are being made, management of the school reached out to certain former student year groups, who donated big water storage polytanks to the school.

Once more, management was turning a damaged hand pump borehole into a well to address the problems.
Due to a lack of money, Koforidua SECTECH also has frequent prepaid electricity shortages.
As a result, many classroom blocks lack electricity, requiring students to attend preparations alternately.
Students in their final year who are taking the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) claim that their ability to learn is being hampered by their inability to get light.

Some people utilize torches.
“Also electricity we don’t have time to prep, even during prep we have to sometimes wait for others to finish learning before others go.
The school doesn’t have enough money to buy the prepaid so when the prepaid get finish we the students have to contribute to buy prepaid ourselves else we won’t get any light.we are pleading if someone can come to our aide to help us” a student said

Our teacher volunteered to purchase a prepaid meter for the science block because “we are in our final year so we need to learn to write the exams but the power issue is affecting us. They who of last week it was only one block that had power. Because of this, we run shift during prep,” a final year student bemoaned.

According to information obtained by the media, the government has not fully released the funding for school utilities for the academic year.

Management has occasionally begged PTA and former students for help in purchasing prepaid credit.
The Headmaster, a few instructors, and some students have occasionally contributed to purchase prepaid.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com