Nadowli-Kaleo District reigns supreme in Senior High School WASH League Table

The Upper West Region has unveiled its maiden Senior High School Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) League Table for 2021.

Following the successful unveiling of the League Table, the Upper West Region has become the second region after the Northern Region to unveil a Senior High School WASH League Table (LT).

The LT captured all the 33 government accredited Senior High Schools in the 11 Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper West Region.

The study was conducted by the Upper West Regional Inter-agency Coordinating Committee on Sanitation (RICCS).

In the unveiling ceremony, the speakers call for a stronger commitment to WASH services in all spheres of life.

The Upper West Regional Environmental Health Officer Madam Freda Naatu re-iterated their commitment and that of the Regional Coordinating Council to continue the course in realising the significant milestones in WASH interventions.

In presenting performance indicators for the WASH assessment in the school, Mr. Bipuah Sulemani who was one of the consultants and Programs Manager of CDA- Ghana indicated that the assessment was carried out on seven thematic areas with each thematic areas compressing of specific indicators. The areas included; students access to latrines, Staff access to latrine, Access to hand washing facilities, Status of latrines/ WASH Facilities, School ODF status, Schools commitment to WASH activities and General Cleanliness

Mr. Tahiru Lukman, Chief Executive Officer of Ideapath Consult who led the analysis in his presentation emphasizes that the agenda of the Senior High School WASH League Table is not to name and shame schools nor to create unhealthy competition.

According to him, it seeks to help identify the availability of WASH facilities, examine access to WASH facilities, unveiled an SHS WASH League Table and intensify advocacy for interventions in schools WASH sector with the ultimate aim of improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene behaviour and services in the Senior High Schools in the Upper West Region.

Mr. Tahiru Lukman explained that the methodology included the use of a mixed-method approach (qualitative and quantitative), the use of questionnaires, observations and transact walk. Sampling was not encouraged since the study team can reach out to all the 33 government accredited senior high schools. To Mr. Tahiru Lukman, data were analyzed and presented in Microsoft word using pie charts, bar charts and tables.

He noted, the conclusion from the study revealed that only 36% of schools have improved access to latrine facilities by Students, 24% moderately improved, while 40% have fair to very poor access. Again, 48.5% of schools have challenges regarding access to hand washing facilities. The finding also shows that the condition of 64% of the school’s WASH facilities were in a very poor state and only 33% of them and in proper (improved) condition. In addition, 70% of schools practice open defecation. Other findings revealed that 67% of schools have an unkempt environment with 61% of schools not showing commitment to WASH.

On the climax was the unveiling of the WASH League Table. Three Senior High Schools in the Nadowli/ Kaleo District took the top spots; Takpo Senior High School, Sombo Senior High School and St. Augustine Technical Institute as first, second and third respectively. The bottom three was share by Wa TI AMASS, Wa Islamic SHS, Eremon SHS as 33^rd, 32^nd and 31^st. The result placed Nadowli/ Kaleo District as the most improved and WASH District with reference to the Senior High Schools performance whiles Wa Municipal is the worst.

The Chairman for the occasion Mr. Martin Dery the Executive Director of ProNet North and a seasoned WASH expert with over three decades of experience in the WASH sector was full of praise to the RICCS most especially the study team for showing commitment and professionalism in the study. He stressed the need for all hand-on-deck approach to support WASH in-school interventions.

The Upper West Regional Director of Education (Mr. Razak Abdul- Koray) on his part indicated that the study was an eye-opener and will provide a basis for his outfit in terms of planning and supporting WASH services in the Senior High Schools. He pledged his commitment to work with management of SHS and GES Directors at the Municipal and District to support the course of WASH in these schools.

A WASH specialist with UNICEF Ghana Mr. Osman Mumuni remarked that the data would go a long way to help in ensuring WASH interventions since; data would now be used as a basis in the process for planning, decision making and implementation. He applauded RICCS for the in-depth of WASH data collected and analysed. He said major problem found in all spheres of Ghana's development is lack of data. Other partners present promised to contribute their quota to improving WASH situation in the Senior High Schools.

A representative of the Upper West Regional Minister in his speech called for collaborative effort to scaling up CLTS interventions in the Region. He bemoaned the widening practice of open defecation in the Wa Municipality.