Ghana’s government declared on Wednesday that no new school will be built without Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, marking a firm policy shift announced at a dialogue in Accra.
Deputy Education Minister Dr Clement Abas Apaak delivered the statement on behalf of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu at the WASH in Schools Policy Dialogue, attended by policymakers, development partners, and students.
The declaration confronts a well-documented crisis. The 2020 Education Management Information System (EMIS) report found that 25 percent of public basic schools lacked safe drinking water and 26 percent operated without improved toilet facilities. Over 1.5 million public school pupils and 314,000 private school students currently bear the consequences.
Dr Apaak announced that sanitation accountability will become a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) under the Mahama administration. He stressed that water and hygiene services are now non-negotiable in every new school infrastructure project.
“We recognize that a conducive learning environment must include dignity,” he stated.
The event also launched a one-year project for the 6th Child Sanitation Diplomat, Master Artaldus Sung Kuuntanaa, a student of the Accra College of Education Demonstration School and winner of the School Sanitation Solutions Challenge. His flagship initiative, a Children’s Sanitation Manifesto developed through nationwide consultations, drew praise from the Deputy Minister.
World Vision Ghana organized the dialogue alongside the Zoomlion Foundation, the GAMA Sanitation and Water Project, and the Ghana Education Service.
