Management and students at several Senior High Schools in the Krobo enclave are grappling with the repercussions of a disconnection exercise carried out by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) due to outstanding debts.
Yilo Krobo SHS, Anum Presby SHS, Anum Presby Vocational Institute, Boso Senior High Technical, and Akro Senior High Technical School were among those disconnected in a nationwide exercise by GWCL in November 2023.
As academic activities resumed in 2024, the impact is evident, with students facing interruptions as they endure long queues for water at a single borehole or trekking to find water.
This predicament extends beyond the Krobo enclave, affecting several schools in the region, although heads of these institutions remain reticent about the situation.
Frustrated students shared their experiences with journalists, citing challenges such as broken pumping machines and the need to wake up at dawn to queue for water.
The lack of water not only hampers concentration in class but also forces students to divert valuable learning time to fetch water for various purposes.
One student from Akro Senior High Technical School highlighted the adverse effects, stating, “The water problem in our school is affecting us negatively. At times, even going to school is a problem, especially, the girls we suffer a lot during our menses if there’s a shortage of water. Sometimes we have to go to town to get water, and even that affects our academics and studies.”
In a plea for assistance, the students urged the government to provide boreholes for their schools. Joshua Tekpenor, the Eastern Regional Chairman of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), expressed concern about the situation and called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education to intervene promptly.
